Transcript:

Across the U.S., AI data centers, electric vehicles, and energy-intensive industries are driving a surge in the demand for electricity.

But at the same time, some older power plants are retiring. And in many areas, the grid is struggling to keep up with growing energy needs.

Stover: “The grid is in trouble. I don’t think the general public knows how serious the situation is that we’re seeing.”

Oliver Stover of the consulting firm Charles River Associates co-authored a report that shows that offshore wind can help.

A single offshore wind turbine can power thousands of homes.

And Stover says offshore wind can complement other power sources. In many areas, it reliably generates power at night, when solar panels do not, and in winter, when bad weather can disrupt natural gas plants.

Stover: “Wind generation is materially stronger at night and much, much stronger in the winter, so this creates this really fantastic synergy with the resources that we already have on the grid now.”

Despite federal pushback, developers have been building offshore wind farms near New England, New York, and Virginia – coastal areas with growing energy demands.

So abundant ocean winds could soon help feed a hungry power grid with clean energy.

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media