Monthly Archives: June 2021

Today, NHPR launches a new series from our podcast Outside/In. It's calledWindfall, and it investigates the birth of a new American industry: offshore wind.

Over the next five weeks, well look at what this massive new technology means for climate change, money and power in the U.S. And well ask: Why did it take so long to get here?

Listen to the first episode below, or at windfallpodcast.org. You can see graphics, get a preview of the upcoming episodes and learn more about our reporting process there, too.

To hear more about the series, NHPRs Morning Edition host Rick Ganley talked with NHPR energy reporter and Windfall co-host Annie Ropeik.

Hear NHPR energy reporter and Windfall co-host Annie Ropeik talk with NHPR Morning Edition host Rick Ganley about the new series.

Rick Ganley: Annie, why do a special series on offshore wind? You mentioned actually in this first episode that the U.S. has just seven offshore wind turbines at the moment right now.

Annie Ropeik: Yeah. So we are in a moment right now where in the next several years we are poised to go from just those seven turbines in the water to potentially thousands just off the East Coast. And we know this has huge implications for trying to stop the worst effects of climate change. It's not the only solution, but it is one that here on the East Coast that we're particularly well-positioned to really scale up quickly. And that will have a lot of ripple effects, good ones, bad ones, things for people's jobs, for their livelihoods, economic inequality implications, whole coastal communities transformed.

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And, of course, the very first project in line is Vineyard Wind off the coast of Massachusetts. And people who want to build out wind in the Gulf of Maine, in the part of the ocean off of New Hampshire, are watching that project very closely to see what will happen. So we wanted to unpack all of that and ask how we got here and what it means for the future.

Rick Ganley: So what can listeners expect from this?

Annie Ropeik: Well, one of the themes of the show is just the huge scale of this industry in every way. So the size of the turbines, you know, the blades can be longer than a 747 airplane. The size of the money, we're talking billions per project, potentially trillions across the industry in just a matter of years. You know, it's kind of unimaginable. And we try to take on that question of whether capitalism, traditional big-money financing is the right way or the only way to do this as quickly as experts say is needed to fight climate change.

And we also take on this really kind of gut-wrenching conflict that the fishing industry is experiencing with the growth of wind technology. You know, people may have heard that there are big emotions, big fears there. There are a lot of unanswered scientific questions. So we dove into that in a way that I think people will find really thought-provoking. We also hear a lot about how mature the industry already is in Europe, which I think will surprise folks. I mean, it's like it's a different world out there when it comes to wind. And they're just in a completely different place than the US is when it comes to the growth of this industry and how long it's been around. And of course, we talk to the man who has been called the father of the modern wind turbine, who is delightful. You'll hear from him in the first episode. He is very Danish.

Rick Ganley: Very Danish. Yes. And part of why you got involved with this show is that some changes are coming to Outside/In itself after Windfall wraps up next month. Tell me about that.

Annie Ropeik: So what's going on there is that our founding Outside/In host, Sam Evans-Brown, who is also cohosting this wind series with me, is leaving the podcast after Windfall ends. He has taken another job and it's actually in clean energy advocacy. So we know this will raise questions for listeners and we wanted to address those head-on and transparently. There's actually an episode about this in the Outside/In feed right now, the one before this first episode of Windfall. And you can also get more details at windfallpodcast.org if people want to hear more.

But basically, Sam made this decision really recently after the reporting was done, but before we had done much editing or producing. So we wanted to kind of do an extra journalistic gut check on whether the show was fair and factual. And I have been reporting on wind and renewable energy and climate change in the newsroom for some time, as you know. So I got involved as part of the whole team that's been working on this, which also includes senior producer Jack Rodolico and all the other journalists who will keep making Outside/In.

Rick Ganley: OK, so some checks and balances there. The sticking point here with Sam's departure is that there's a big difference between journalism and advocacy.

Annie Ropeik: That's right. I mean, journalists tell a story. We present the relevant facts, the arguments, context, and we let you, the listener, decide what you think about it. As journalists covering climate change, Sam and I have been able to say facts like it's real, it's happening, human activity is causing it, there are many solutions. We can investigate the solutions. We can talk to people about the arguments for and against. But an advocate gets paid to support specific solutions. And that's what Sam is going to do after this. And among other things, he'll likely be advocating for offshore wind.

So that's why we've taken great pains, extra care to make sure that the show can stand on its own merits. Sam's new job hasn't overlapped at all with his work on Windfall. We hired an outside fact-checker for the series, Sara Sneath, The Outside/In team has worked on this for almost three years and we think it's a really important story, one that was reported, edited and produced by a full team of journalists, and we think you deserve to hear it and come to your own conclusions.

If you like Windfall, help us make more stories like it. Support Outside/In and NHPR with a donation today. To get biweekly email updates from the show, subscribe to our newsletter, Outside/In[box].

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NHPR's New Podcast 'Windfall' Dives Into The Birth Of The U.S. Offshore Wind Industry - New Hampshire Public Radio

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, more than $10 million in funding for NREL offshore wind research projects came from partnerships with industry. The NREL team is working with more than 45 commercial, government, and research organizations on offshore, land-based, and distributed wind research projects in 2021.

This reflects the overall success of the laboratory in cultivating partnerships. Over the last 12 years, NREL has brought in $1 billion in partnership contracts, with more than 900 active partnership agreements and close to 600 unique partners in FY 2020.

With the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind development recentlycleared for installation by the U.S. Department of the Interioroff the coast of Massachusetts, the NREL offshore wind team hopes to engage with new partners to grow its collaborative base and make even more meaningful contributions to this burgeoning industry in the coming years.

Industry partners know they can bank on the intellectual capital of experienced NREL researchers to develop and refine breakthrough offshore wind technologies and provide the balanced, market-savvy guidance needed for successful deployment. In addition, NREL offers industry partners hands-on research collaboration, technical assistance, deployment guidance, research facility use, and technology licensing.

"Collaboration with industry is key to making sure our R&D addresses real-world issues and priorities, while helping transfer scientific knowledge from the lab to the marketplace," said NREL Principal Engineer Jeroen van Dam. "We're giving offshore developers the tools to establish market parityand giving the United States resources to join the field of international players."

Through collaborations with the primary offshore wind regulatorsthe Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcementand in coordination with the Business Network for Offshore Wind and the American Clean Power Association trade organizations, NREL is helping lead the development of industry standards that will define the requirements for utility-scale deployment of offshore wind in the United States. The team also works with individual companiesfrom startups to established corporationsincluding system operators, developers, original equipment manufacturers, energy suppliers, and investors. Scores of U.S. companies are currently involved in building, running, or supporting supply chains related to offshore systems.

The laboratory provides a credible source for objective expertise and validated data, bolstering rather than competing with industry efforts. NREL research focuses on early-stage technologies, where industry investments tend to be lean, while also targeting R&D priorities with potential for future commercialization. This has included collaboration on tools needed for industry to eventually develop larger, more powerful turbines and optimize system performance, efficiency, reliability, and affordability.

NREL takes broader economic factors into consideration when assessing the potential impact of offshore wind research and development. Offshore wind could trigger more than $12 billion per year in U.S. capital investment in offshore wind projects and spur significant activity and growth for ports, factories, and construction.

Go here to read the rest:

Partnerships Amplify Velocity of Offshore Wind Innovation - AltEnergyMag

New York, June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Offshore Support Vessel Market by Type, Application, End-User And Region - Global Forecast to 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04814918/?utm_source=GNW Thus, the growth in deployment of offshore wind farms would be the opportunity for the offshore support vessel market during the forecast period. Oversupply of offshore vessels act as restrain for the growth of the market during the forecast year.

The AHTS segment is expected to hold the largest share of the offshore support vessel market, by type, during the forecast period.Anchor-handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels constitute the largest segment of the offshore support vessel market, by type, in terms of volume as well as value.AHTS vessels are designed to provide anchor-handling and towage services and are also used for supplying deck cargo, water, fuel, dry bulk, and mud-to-oil rigs and platforms.

These vessels can also be used for emergencies and are well equipped for firefighting, rescue, and oil recovery operations.The demand from Asia Pacific and Europe is projected to drive the market for AHTS vessels during the forecast period.

Countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia increased their E&P activities in offshore areas in the recent past.Malaysia is the largest contributor to the short-term oil & gas production growth mainly due to the Kebabangan Gas Project.

The global AHTS market dominated the global offshore support vessel market owing to increasing shallow-water activities in the Asia Pacific region.

North America: The fastest market for offshore support vessels.

The North American market is projected to be the fastest-growing market, during the forecast period, owing to the continued production and exploration activities, particularly in the US and the Gulf of Mexico.As oil prices remain stable, the North American market will grow at the highest pace, as it will witness the fastest rise in exploration and production spending in response to any future recovery in oil prices, with its well-developed offshore industry.

Moreover, significant reserves and a comparatively stable political environment have further supported the growth of the offshore support vessel market in the region.

Breakdown of Primaries:In-depth interviews have been conducted with various key industry participants, subject-matter experts, C-level executives of key market players, and industry consultants, among other experts, to obtain and verify critical qualitative and quantitative information, as well as to assess future market prospects. The distribution of primary interviews is as follows: By Company Type: Tier 1- 55%, Tier 2- 25%, and Tier 3- 20% By Designation: C-Level- 35%, D Level- 30%, and Others- 35%

By Region: North America- 20%, Asia Pacific- 25%, Europe- 20%, Middle East- 15%,, Africa 10%, , and South America-10%*Others includes sales managers, engineers, and regional managers.The tiers of the companies are defined based on their total revenue as of 2019. Tier 1: USD 1 billion, Tier 2: From USD 1 billion to USD 500 million, and Tier 3: Key players in the offshore support vessel market DOF group (Norway), Solstad Offshore (Norway), Tidewater(US), Maersk(Denmark), and Siem Offshore (Norway).

Study Coverage:The report defines, describes, and forecasts the offshore support vessel market, by type, application, end user, and region.It also offers a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market.

The report provides a comprehensive review of the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. It also covers various important aspects of the market, which include the analysis of the competitive landscape, market dynamics, market estimates in terms of value, and future trends in the offshore support vessel market.

Key Benefits of Buying the Report1. The report identifies and addresses key markets for the deployment of offshore support vessel in various industries, which would help OSV providers review the growth in demand.2. The report helps solution providers understand the pulse of the market and provide insights into drivers, restraints, and challenges.3. The report will help key players understand the strategies of their competitors better and will help in making strategic decisions.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04814918/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The offshore support vessel market is projected to grow - GlobeNewswire

Trenching support vessel Aethra was forced to leave the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm after the local fishermen protesting the project breached several safety protocols and verbally threatened the safety of the captain and the crew.

The Aethra was deployed on the site when a large number of fishing boats surrounded the vessel.

The fishermen then proceeded to breach the 500-metre safety zone around the Aethra, fire distress flares, and threaten to board the vessel and sabotage the propulsion and hurl insults at the captain of the Aethra via VHF, according to Prfecture maritime de lAtlantique.

Surrounded and approached by several fishing vessels, the captain of Aethra then decided to leave the work area in order to lower the level of tension and to put his crew and his vessel to safety.

Ailes Marines denounces the unacceptable behavior of certain professional fishermen during the demonstration organized today on the work area of the Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, Ailes Marines, the developer of the wind farm, said.

Ailes Marines notes with great concern that the essential maritime safety rules have been widely flouted by the ships of the demonstrators present in the area.

The offenses were identified by police officers onboard two vessels mobilized to the site by Prfecture maritime de lAtlantique.

The protest, reportedly organised via social media networks, ended shortly before noon, Thursday, 24 June.

On their return to the quay, the offending fishermen were met by the gendarmes of the maritime gendarmerie research brigade, Prfecture maritime de lAtlantique said.

The gandarmerie is currently carrying out the first hearings within the framework of the judicial inquiry conducted by the Brest maritime prosecutors office.

By approaching a few meters away and firing distress flares, the protesters endangered the safety of sailors working on board AETHRA, as well as their own safety.AETHRA sailors and accompanying boats were victims of verbal and physical threats, they had to leave the area of operations to ensure the safety of those on board, Ailes Marines said.

Ailes Marines considers that professional fishermen are free to express their dissatisfaction and to demonstrate. However, Ailes Marines notes that an unacceptable limit has been crossed today. Consequently, the company will prosecute by legal means all the people who by their reckless actions violate the elementary maritime safety rules and endanger the life of the crews of the ships operating on the site, Ailes Marines said.

This is not the first time the local fishermen tried to disrupt the construction of the wind farm in this manner.

Posted: about 1 month ago

Back in May, the fishermen surrounded Van Oords jack-up Aeolus deployed on the site to install the wind farms foundations. The safety zone was breached and distress flares fired at that time, as well.

The 496 MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, located 16.3 kilometres off the coast of Brittany, is scheduled to become operational in 2023.Ailes marines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberdrola.

Originally posted here:

Vessel Forced to Leave French Offshore Wind Farm after Protests Turn Ugly - Offshore WIND