The mighty winds that blow through Texas, Oklahoma and elsewhere in the United States aren’t as mighty or as consistent as the gusts out in the oceans. But 13 years after the nation’s first offshore wind park was envisioned in Nantucket Sound, this plentiful source of renewable energy has yet to produce a kilowatt of utility power. Now a Seattle company hopes to join that race by harnessing some of the fiercest winds off the Pacific Coast.
Winds coming off the Pacific Coast could soon provide energy to Americans thanks to a Seattle company. Principle Power, a renewable energy technology developer headquartered in the Pioneer Square neighborhood, received ago-ahead from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to submit a formal proposal to use 15 square miles of federal waters off the Oregon Coast for its $200 million WindFloat project. The project would use five floating platforms with 6-megawatt turbines near Coos Bay, Ore., and would be the first floating offshore wind-energy project installed in the U.S. It would also be the first offshore wind project off the West Coast and could generate enough electricity to power 10,000-to-12,000 typical homes each year.
