WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- There is the potential to generate more than 4,000 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind but the United States has no offshore wind farms, a department said.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that more than 4,150 gigawatts of energy could be generated from offshore wind. The U.S. Department of Energy found the most favorable wind conditions in the United States were along the northwestern and northeastern coasts. Average wind speed there, at 295 feet, the height of most conventional offshore wind turbines, was measured at around 20 miles per hour.
The Energy Department noted that, while offshore winds are better and more reliable than onshore winds, offshore wind turbines are more expensive.
"The United States does not currently have any operating, utility-scale offshore wind capacity, although some projects are in the planning stages," the department said in a statement.
In 2009, the Department of Energy estimated the United States produced 1,025 GW of electrical power.
