GOM's wild winds and currents to be exploited: feds try to tame the gold rush

All week the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine is hosting Energy Ocean 2009. Heavily attended by afficionados of renewable electricity from offshore wind, wave, tide, thermal, solar and hybrid systems. On Tuesday June 25th, Maureen Bornholdt of the Interior Department's Office of Offshore Alternative Energy Program gave the keynote speech. Listen to a podcast of Bornholdt's 40 minute keynote speech.

Briefly, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Interior Department was given authority to lease ocean areas for renewable energy production.

Bornholdt was tasked with developing the leasing system for offshore windfarms, tidal generators and and other alternative energy producers, in federal and US EEZ waters.

In the recorded presentation, Bornholdt describes the process that energy applicants will have to go through, both for siting alternative offshore power plants and for obtaining right of ways and right of use easements for delivering the electricity to shore.

There will be two types of lease: Commercial leases and limited leases. Small generators and those larger ones awaiting approval will be able to sell up to 5 megawatts of power without obtaining a license. Government agencies will be able to hold leases and operated power generators offshore. Much more...An amazing flux of issues in this fastmoving process. Listen to Bornholdt's talk.