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Offshore Wind Working Group



Governor John Carney established the Offshore Wind Working Group in August, 2017, to study opportunities for Delaware to participate in developing offshore wind. The Working Group met from October, 2017, through June 2018, when it submitted its report to the Governor.

A view of a line of offshore wind turbines

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Report to the Governor

The Offshore Wind Working Group presented its Report to Governor Carney on June 29, 2018. The Group’s December 15, 2017, memorandum to the Governor is incorporated into the final report.

On August 28, 2017, Governor John Carney signed Executive Order 13, establishing the Offshore Wind Power Working Group. The Working Group was asked to:

  • Study how Delaware can participate in developing offshore wind
  • Identify ways Delaware can benefit economically and environmentally from offshore wind power
  • Make specific recommendations for Delaware to move forward in offshore wind power development

In a statement, Governor Carney said that looking into alternative energy is “the right decision for our environment,” and that “the development of new sources of energy is also good for our economy, and for the creation of good-paying jobs.”

A Representative Working Group

The Offshore Wind Working group included a diverse group from government, industry, and the public. Bruce Burcat, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition, chaired the group. The Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy provided staffing resources.

A Public Process

The Working Group held eight formal meetings and four public comment workshops between the beginning of October, 2017, and the end of June, 2018. All Working Group meetings were open to the public. Times, dates, meeting locations, agendas and minutes were posted on the state’s Public Meeting Calendar. More meeting materials, public comments, and related links are posted on this page for public view.

Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations

Delmarva Power 2016 Integrated Resource Plan, Delmarva Power

Public acceptance of offshore wind power across regions and through time, Firestone, Kempton, Lilley and Samoteskul

Public acceptance of offshore wind power: does perceived fairness of process matter?, Firestone, Kempton, Lilley and Samoteskul

Valuing the Visual Disamenity of Offshore Wind Power Projects at Varying Distances from the Shore: An Application on the Delaware Shoreline, Krueger, Parsons, and Firestone

Thesis: Public Participation in Support of Offshore Wind, Jacqueline D. Piero

Rate Impact on LIPA Resident and Commercial Customers Of 250MW Offshore Wind Development on Eastern Long Island, Tabors, Rudkevich, and Hornby

2012-2016 CO2, SO2 and NOX Emission Rates, PJM

Summary of Public Opinion Surveys (2006-2015): Development of wind power off of Delaware’s coast, Jeremy Firestone

U.S. Job Creation in Offshore Wind, BVG Associates Limited

Distribution and Abundance of Wildlife along the Eastern Seaboard 2012-2014, Biodiversity Research Institute

Evaluation and Comparison of US Wind and Skipjack Proposed Offshore Wind Project Applications, Revised (March 17, 2017), Levitan and Associates

Offshore Wind Working Group Meeting Presentation 11.29.2017, DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy

Responses to Questions About the PJM Presentation, David M. Egan, PJM

Offshore Wind Working Group Meeting Presentation 11.15.2017, DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy

PJM Information Exchange Presentation, David M. Egan, PJM

Offshore Wind Power Pros and Cons Presentation, Bob Howatt, Delaware PSC

Lazard’s Levelized Coast of Energy Analyses (LCOE), Version 11.0 (11/2017)

A Port for Offshore Wind, Enabling New Technology and Industrial Development, Willett Kempton, UD Center for Carbon-free Power Integration

US Offshore Wind Energy: Future Cost Analyses and Update, Stephanie McClellan, Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind

Working Group Staff Presentation, November 1, 2017, DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy

Lazard’s Levelized Coast of Energy Analyses (LCOE), Version 10.0 (12/2016)

Revisiting the Social Cost of Carbon, William D. Nordhaus, Department of Economics, Yale University

Memo: Projected Employment Impacts from the Maryland Offshore Wind Projects, Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.

U.S. Offshore Wind Manufacturing and Supply Chain Development, Navigant Consulting, Inc. prepared for U.S. Department of Energy

Levelized Cost and Levelized Avoided Cost of New Generation Resources in the Annual Energy Outlook 2017, U.S. Energy Information Administration

Cost and OREC estimates for Maryland Offshore Wind US Wind and Skipjack Project, Levitan & Associates, Inc.

Working Group staff presentation, October 20, 2017, DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy

Estimating the Economic Potential of Offshore Wind in the United States, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Health and climate benefits of offshore wind facilities in the Mid-Atlantic United States, Buonocore et al.

PJM Renewable Integration Study, General Electric International, Inc; PJM Interconnection, LLC.

New York Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Study, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

2014-2015 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report, U.S. Department of Energy

State Policies can Unleash U.S. Commercial Offshore Wind Development, Center for American Progress

Industrializing Offshore Wind Power with Serial Assembly and Lower-cost Deployment, University of Delaware

The large scale impact of offshore windfarm structures on pelagic primary production in the southern North Sea, Slavik et al.

Massachusetts Offshore Wind Future Cost Study, University of Delaware

Offshore Wind Jobs Analysis, prepared for the Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition

Offshore Wind Working Group presentation, DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy

Maryland PSA Awards ORECS to Two Offshore Wind Developers, Maryland Public Service Commission

Maryland Public Service Commission Order No. 88192, Maryland Public Service Commission

William Whipple, III, June 21, 2018

Delaware Energy Users Group, May 31, 2018

Transcript, Public Comment Workshop, May 31, 2018

Transcript, Public Comment Workshop, May 29, 2018

Rep. Richard Collins, May 22, 2018

Caesar Rodney Institute, May 22, 2018

William Whipple III, May 21, 2018

Geoffrey Pohanka, May 21, 2018

Mariners Advisory Committee letter to BOEM, May 18, 2018

Three articles and utility bill (submitted by John Nichols), April 23, 2018

Twenty-One Bad Things About Wind Energy — and Three Reasons Why (From masterresource.org, submitted by John Nichols), March 26, 2018

League of Women Voters of Delaware, Dec. 15, 2017

Delaware Sierra Club, Dec. 14, 2017

John Greer, Dec. 12, 2017

Clean Air Council, Comments for Dec. 11, 2017 Meeting

David Stevenson, Dec. 8, 2017

Willett Kempton Memo, Dec. 6, 2017

Clean Air Council, Dec. 6, 2017

Transcript, Public Comment Workshop, Dec. 5, 2017

Caesar Rodney Institute, Dec. 5, 2017

Chad Tolman, Dec. 5, 2017

Charlie Garlow, Dec. 5, 2017

Martha Redmond, Dec. 5, 2017

Mariner’s Advisory Committee, Dec. 5, 2017

Peter McLean (St. Andrew’s School), revised, Dec. 4, 2017

Michael Miller, Dec. 3, 2017

John Hawkins, Dec. 1, 2017

John Nichols, Nov. 30, 2017

Sarah L., Nov. 30, 2017

Don Henderson, Nov. 30, 2017

Kathy Doyle, Nov. 29, 2017

Albert Anderson, Nov. 28, 2017

Stu Widom, Calpine Corp., Nov. 27, 2017

Illustrations from Geoffrey Pohanka, Nov. 27, 2017

CO2 Emissions, Global, submitted by J. Nichols

US Wind Presentation to Delaware Working Group, Nov. 27, 2017

Skipjack Overview for Delaware Working Group, Nov. 27, 2017

DNREC Staff Presentation, Public Comment Workshop, Nov. 27, 2017

Transcript, Public Comment Workshop, Nov. 27, 2017

Ryan Scott, Nov. 27, 2017

Geoffrey Pohanka, Nov. 27, 2017

Alan Greenglass, Nov. 27, 2017

Kit Zak, Citizens for Clean Power, Nov. 15, 2017

Bonnie Ram, Nov. 15, 2017

John Nichols with Tom Noyes (DNREC) responses, Nov. 15

Ron Goodwin, Nov. 14, 2017

Geoffrey Pohanka, Nov. 9, 2017

Dr. Ted Spickler, Nov. 3, 2017

Charts on UD wind turbine presented by John Nichols, Nov. 1, 2017

Gail Gormley, November 1, 2017

John Nichols email with links, Oct. 31, 2017

Alan Rogers, Chemical Industry Council of Delaware, Oct. 27, 2017

John Nichols, Oct. 25, 2017

CO2 Emissions Charts, Submitted by John Nichols, Oct. 18, 2017

John Nichols, Oct. 17, 2017

Will Stephens (Via MAREC), Oct. 9, 2017

David T. Stevenson, Caesar Rodney Institute, Oct. 6, 2017

John Nichols, Oct. 6, 2017




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