On headwinds and headlines

For the U.S. offshore wind industry, things have been looking….a little choppy. Despite considerable headway, several flagship projects in the northeast have fallen victim to rising interest rates, inflation, and supply chain difficulties—all enemies of long-term power contracts. Here’s a good 2-minute summary from NPR (check out this Canary Media article, too). But for all the uncertainty, there’s been a splash of good news. South Fork Wind, the first offshore project in federal waters, turned on its first wind turbine to start sending electrons to Long Island.

Back on (very dry) land, It’s been enjoyable to watch innovation come to life. Exhibit A: the latest application of geothermal in Nevada. Fervo Energy, who made headlines earlier this year when they demonstrated their next-generation geothermal technology, announced the commercial operation of their first plant in partnership with Google last week. It’s interesting to see a company build on proven techniques from the oil & gas industry to deliver a promising clean energy solution.