In May, US Wind has signed an agreement with EPIC Applied Technologies for the installation of its Meteorological Tower set to be one of the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. The tower will be used to collect wind resource data within the Maryland lease area that will involve the installation of up to 32 wind turbines. 

Innovative technologies such as meteorological tower provide reliable and accurate data, especially as turbine technology continues to advance and costs decline. The meteorological tower will be installed 14.6 nautical miles offshore and centrally located within the Wind Energy Area and will include sensors built for optimal collection of wind data. 

Fortifying and building the expertise of the local workforce is essential to the socio-economic benefits of the project. This includes securing contracts from companies based in the state specializing in fabrication of structure, instrumentation, offshore construction, and quality check for fabrication. 

These will eventually produce 268 megawatts of offshore wind energy that can sufficiently provide 76,000 Maryland homes with clean, renewable energy. The project is expected to generate approximately 7,000 direct and indirect jobs and represent an in-state investment of nearly $1.5 billion.