Offshore Wind is the most rapidly growing sector of the burgeoning Blue Water Economy. There are presently 12 MW of wind turbines installed in U.S. federal waters, and this is expected to grow to more than 30,000 MW by 2030. The rapid advance in Offshore Wind is a massive opportunity for job growth for meteorologists and oceanographers, with a wide array of research opportunities and investments. The current state of U.S. (and global) offshore development will be discussed, as well as the role of coastal scientists in development of offshore wind companies. The seminar will provide a discussion of the necessary steps to conduct a wind resource and metocean assessment for use in the development process. Additional discussion will focus on the state of the science and areas for additional research.

Louis Bowers is a Senior Offshore Meteorologist and lead of the Site Characteristics Department for Avangrid Renewables. Mr. Bowers received a B.S. degree in Meteorology and a M.S. degree in Oceanography from Rutgers University. He manages all items related to wind resource assessment and energy yield calculations for Avangrid Renewables' Offshore projects. These activities include design and management of measurement campaigns, evaluation of wind turbine power curves, energy yield calculations, and power curve measurement. His team has responsibility across North America and works closely with teams across Europe, Asia, and beyond. Mr. Bowers has been with Avangrid Renewables since 2007, when he previously acted as lead/senior meteorologist for onshore projects in the Eastern United States, managing the wind resource and energy assessments for more than 900 MW of operating assets. Previously, he worked at Rutgers University's Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory, where he was a senior meteorologist for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities-funded Offshore Wind assessment for the State of New Jersey, Public Service Electric and Gas-funded severe storm forecast initiatives, and National Science Foundation- and Naval Research Laboratory-funded oceanographic experiments.

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