Connecting the Dots: Regional Coordination for Offshore Wind and Grid Development

By 2020, it is expected that about 42 GW of offshore wind capacity will be built in European waters and 30 GW off the shore of China. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Offshore Wind Strategy, estimates for the United States are for approximately 10 GW of offshore capacity by then. This article gives an overview of current developments in this area from a power system point of view, namely, the offshore grid deployment that needs to accompany the offshore wind generation development. General ideas are given concerning political plans and related studies about technology issues, regulatory and market arrangements, and experience with offshore grid demonstration projects.