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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced it is investing $4.75 million to establish a new national center of excellence to accelerate reliable and equitable offshore wind energy deployment across the nation. The Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst with approximately 40 partners, will focus on workforce development, targeted research, and partnerships and strategies to embed equity in offshore wind development.
This academic and training hub, which includes partners across the United States, will help drive progress toward the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, 100% clean electricity grid by 2035, and net zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.
“Offshore wind can play a major role in decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid, and meeting its potential will require skilled workers to propel us forward,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “This consortium will provide timely and relevant training and education to help foster the domestic offshore wind workforce of tomorrow and secure a clean energy future for all Americans.”
As offshore wind energy development grows there will be an increasing demand for workers across a broad range of disciplines. The selected ARROW consortium, funded by DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, will provide inter-disciplinary educational opportunities to help advance the next generation of offshore wind workers.
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