Some of the early entrants to the U.S. offshore wind market have launched an innovation hub in New York to advance the industry by supporting start-ups.
Equinor and bp, 50/50 partners on the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, have launched the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub that will facilitate partnerships with start-ups that bring new technological solutions to the rapidly growing US offshore wind industry.
The initiative comes from a new three-year partnership between Equinor, the Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NY Tandon School of Engineering, and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NOWRDC), supported by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
The Innovation Hub will create a physical location for offshore wind programming and serve as a center for the industry’s innovation ecosystem. The Hub will host educational programming, workshops, and curricula for the startups, as well as networking opportunities with industry participants. It will be located adjacent to Equinor and bp’s new project office in Sunset Park.
“Equinor and bp are thrilled to launch this partnership in an effort to push the envelope even further by nurturing innovative new ideas from around the world that will help drive technological growth and efficiency even further," said Siri Espedal Kindem, president of Equinor Wind U.S.. Establishing this innovation hub is just one way we are accelerating the development of the offshore wind industry in New York and beyond.”
In the coming months, the partners will develop a call for applications to identify and select industry-leading startups whose technologies address key challenges facing US offshore wind.
Once chosen, these startups will receive tailored support and unique programming that draws on UFL’s network of mentors, NOWRDC industry community, and key policy figures in the technology areas identified for the cohort – laying the groundwork for potential partnerships between Equinor and the participating startups.
The Empire Wind and Beacon Wind leases -- acquired in 2017 and 2019, respectively -- each have a potential installed capacity of 2 GW.
An artist rendering of a planned offshore wind assembly and staging hub to be developed by Equinor and bp (Courtesy: Equinor) In March, Equinor and bp said they plan to invest up to $250 million to build an offshore wind staging and assembly hub at a Brooklyn, New York, port. The facility is expected to meet the needs of the companies' ongoing projects as well as the region's burgeoning offshore wind industry.
The companies signed an agreement with port operator Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The intent is to develop a "low-emissions facility" at the port, the companies said.
The project is expected to add 1,000 new jobs to the region.
The Brooklyn offshore wind hub could also support other projects in the region, the companies said. In February, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned six leases in the New York Bight area offshore New York and New Jersey for a record $4.37 billion.
