US Floating Wind Hits Technical Milestones but Stalls Before Commercial Scale

The University of Maine’s research centre has published steel platform design parameters for its floating wind prototype and is testing a motion-damping system supplied by Irish firm Dublin Offshore — a transatlantic effort that shows how far the technology has advanced while underscoring how far it remains from market.

The quarter-scale model, housing a 33-metre turbine, operates in the Gulf of Maine and has proven technically stable. Yet when the federal WindShot programme was launched, the levelized cost of floating offshore wind was running roughly twice that of conventional fixed-bottom installations — a steep premium for a technology still seeking commercial traction.

Scaling up faces compounding obstacles. Specialised port infrastructure capable of assembling and dispatching floating wind systems demands capital starting at $1 billion. BloombergNEF analysts identify further engineering hurdles — including dynamic submarine cables and floating transformer substations — alongside regulatory pauses and cuts to US port subsidies that have made the country a politically risky market for investors.

The planned next step, a 10-to-12-unit full-scale demonstration array, has stalled: the developer suspended power purchase agreement negotiations after market conditions shifted.

US developers are increasingly looking to Europe to bridge the gap. The DeepCwind consortium is in discussions over European offtake deals, while Principle Power continues to service existing floating wind operations and maintenance contracts.

“Demonstration tests are a critical final step, providing investors with the factual evidence they need to move toward full commercial deployment,” said Darren Hayes, chief technology officer at Dublin Offshore.

Source: Inside Climate News