Offshore wind can help meet U.S. energy needs, reduce carbon pollution and may create new ocean habitats.
Offshore wind is a renewable energy technology that will be critical to contributing to the clean energy transition in the United States. This is especially true along the Atlantic coast where there is great potential for wind energy due to the consistent wind speeds.
If thoughtfully planned and sited, the materials used in offshore wind construction could serve as habitat for marine life, like fish and shellfish. Offshore wind energy development can also provide quality jobs and support the health and wellness of regional communities through the reduction in carbon pollution, oil spills and other pollutants. That is why The Nature Conservancy is committed to supporting offshore wind projects and policies that can help advance our climate, conservation and community goals.
The U.S. has set a target of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity generation by 2030—enough to power more than 10 million American homes with clean energy. Given the need for this rapid infrastructure expansion, TNC uses the best available science to maximize benefits and minimize harm to nature and people.
Quote: Tricia K. Jedele
Developing offshore wind is a 21st century conservation strategy. Pairing the reduction of planet warming emissions with thoughtful and innovative offshore wind development can help marine and coastal life flourish and bring new opportunities to communities.
Offshore Wind in Action
Explore how TNC accelerates offshore wind development in North America.
Science
TNC uses the best available science to advance offshore wind in a way that maximizes benefits and minimizes harm to nature and people. Our research centers around how marine animals interact with wind turbines and underwater structures and how offshore wind can benefit local communities. We offer tools and recommendations that help federal and state agencies make decisions about developing offshore wind energy.
Read about our research on fish movement and offshore wind energy construction.
Explore our Marine Mapping Tool, which assesses marine life and habitats to support offshore wind environmental impact assessments.
Policy
We work at the federal and state levels to advance policies that accelerate offshore wind while benefiting communities and conservation. Our work focuses on passing and implementing new policies to incentivize development, building considerations for nature into project siting and design, advising on the best available science to support decisions and improving transmission to make sure the energy can get to where it is needed. We convene and collaborate with marine scientists and legal and policy experts to develop offshore wind approaches that will have a net positive impact on biodiversity.
Communities
Advancing clean energy offers an opportunity to promote a fair and just transition for workers, consumers and communities. This is especially important as we transition to a clean energy economy. Not only can we make sure that historically excluded and potentially impacted communities are meaningfully engaged in offshore wind siting decisions, but we can also work to make sure that all communities fully understand the opportunities and benefits that are possible from offshore wind energy.
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Offshore Wind Webinar Series
Offshore wind is a complicated topic. We know it can be a critically important energy resource in our efforts to mitigate climate change, but it also evokes a lot of questions. The Nature Conservancy launched this monthly seven-part webinar series to convene experts who can help us answer some of the most challenging questions we have about offshore wind and explore how it can help us create a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future. We hope you will join us.
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#6: The Role of Data, Spatial Tools, and Policy in Designing Projects
What does the term net-positive impact on biodiversity mean in an offshore wind context? Why does it matter? How will we know if we achieve it? Join us on December 5 from 12-1pm ET to learn more. Register
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#7: Sharing the Social Value of Offshore Wind
Mark James, Assoc. Professor and Interim Director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment, joins us to review the Institute’s new report which reviews examples of how the U.S. is incentivizing and incorporating community benefits agreements. Register
Watch past webinars
A Windfall: Can offshore wind save money and the planet
Join us for a discussion hosted by Tricia Jedele, Offshore Wind Policy Manager for The Nature Conservancy. She will be in conversation with Melissa Whited, and Susan Muller about the results of their recent analyses on why offshore wind is so important in New England.
(00:58:56)
Mapping the Course: Navigating Offshore Wind Siting
Host Tricia K. Jedele, Offshore Wind Policy Manager of The Nature Conservancy, invites you to join us for a conversation about the federal siting process for offshore wind.
(00:57:21)
Whales and Offshore Wind: Addressing Myths and Facts
Host Tricia K. Jedele, Offshore Wind Policy Manager of The Nature Conservancy, invites you to join us to learn from Dr. Douglas Nowacek at Duke University’s Marine Lab about how whales use sound in the ocean and how they respond to a number of different pressures in the ocean, including noise.
(1:01:02)
Offshore Wind & Birds
Host Tricia K. Jedele, Offshore Wind Policy Manager of The Nature Conservancy, invites you to join us for a conversation about birds, climate change and offshore wind.
(1:00:21)
Understanding Interactions Between Fish & Offshore Wind
Join Dr. Brendan Runde, a TNC marine scientist, and Dr. Annie Murphy, a Principal Scientist at INSPIRE Environmental, to hear about the research they’ve been doing to understand more about how fish respond to offshore wind construction and adapt to new structures in the marine environment.
(00:59:21)
More on Offshore Wind
Wind Power: A Window into Delaware’s Clean, Bright Future
Offshore wind offers an opportunity to bring about an era of 100% renewable energy and a greener, cleaner and more prosperous future.
A Marine Mapping Tool to Inform Better Decisions
TNC scientists are mapping offshore waters in the Atlantic to ensure the best data about species and resources are used to make decisions about the ocean.
New Study Uses Electronic Tags to Explore Relationship Between Fish Behavior and Offshore Wind Energy Construction
This first study of its kind, results will fill knowledge gaps to better inform fisheries and wind energy construction practices in the Atlantic Ocean