The IGERT students participating in Prof. Elisabeth Hamin’s Regional Planning course “Wind Energy and Society” visited Washington, D.C. over spring break to discuss offshore wind energy policy with various organizations.
The organizations included the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), U.S. Department of Energy, American Bird Conservancy, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
One of the major components of Hamin’s course includes cases studies of existing offshore wind energy projects in the US with an effort to understand what unique factors lead to project success or failure. Leading up to the Washington, D.C. meetings, the class studied the legislative history surrounding offshore wind energy and renewable energy policy.
The educational background from the course strongly supported the meeting discussions in Washington, D.C. and vice versa.