Members of the campus’s Wind Energy Center (WEC) last week helped to launch the coalition New England for Offshore Wind, (NE4OSW), of which WEC is a member institution. NE4OSWis a coalition of nearly 40 environmental advocacy groups, research institutes and business alliances working to put New England in the forefront of offshore wind energy in the U.S., and to provide thousands of prevailing wage jobs to the region.
The coalition is developing a regional approach to offshore wind, which it believes is better for rate payers, workers and the environment. Sanjay Arwade, professor of civil engineering and WEC associate director, represented the WEC at the launch. His role is to bring the academic research and education perspective to the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ efforts to accelerate offshore wind in New England.
He says, “UMass does well to be positioned in alliance with a diverse group of stakeholder representatives in the coalition, so that we can ensure that our research and education has an impact and to potentially reap benefits of increased state, regional and industrial investment in offshore wind.”
“For now, my work with the coalition consists of representing the academic perspective in communications the coalition makes to state and regional leaders, including governors and legislators, and to speak publicly for academia at events such as the launch,” he adds.
The group is throwing its support behind a Massachusetts House bill that would direct the Department of Energy Resources to determine the feasibility of creating multi-state offshore wind solicitation and procurement agreements in conjunction with Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The coalition says Massachusetts could take advantage of economies of scale and seek new offshore wind projects that will provide economic benefits both in Massachusetts and the region.