EDC and State Leaders Host Northeast Offshore Wind Summit
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
This week more than 150 business leaders, green companies, and industry experts gathered in Providence for the Northeast Offshore Wind Summit to discuss opportunities to advance the nation's offshore wind industry.
The two-day summit, hosted by state leaders and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC), gathered the Northeast's leading members of the offshore wind industry to showcase, share and discuss their new strategies and initiatives.
While the summit was populated with big companies such as Deepwater Wind and Cape Wind (the nation's two leading offshore wind developers), Siemens, General Electric and Global Marine, Rhode Island initiatives were important participants in the summit's agenda.
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Although the offshore wind farm have been the focus of heated debates in the past, Rhode Island has made significant strides to advance the offshore wind industry.
According to Governor Donald L. Carcieri, the state has a unique opportunity to be the leading actor in a national movement towards greener energy. "As the nation moves closer to realizing the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy, particularly offshore wind energy, Rhode Island is poised to be the national model for other states to follow," Carcieri said.
The state's wind-related projects include Rhode Island's groundbreaking ocean-mapping effort which identifies the prime locations for wind turbines in local waters, as well as the state's controversial new wind farm near Block Island. As part of this statewide effort, The University of Rhode Island has also established the Center of Excellence for Research on Offshore Renewable Energy (RORE) to further advance research and development.
"Other states are closely watching our efforts, and this week's summit furthers our commitment to capitalizing on the unique opportunity to establish a new economic engine here," said RIEDC Executive Director Keith Stokes.
The summit also addressed key issues of the offshore wind industry, including economic and workforce impacts, supply chain logistics, and port development.
Photo by Hans Hillewaert
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