Areas of cooperation

Offshore wind and energy efficiency in building and industry

Offshore wind targets in the United States of America

Since the 2020 presidential election, offshore wind power is increasingly perceived as an integral part of the plan for the renewable energy transition in the US. In 2021, President Biden announced a target of 30 GW installed capacity of offshore wind by 2030. Similarly, the US government is increasingly focusing on the potential of floating offshore wind power. In 2022, the administration set an ambitious target of 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035. 

Cooperation between Danish and American authorities

The Danish-American government collaboration on offshore wind power was officially initiated in 2016 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Danish government. Since then, the collaboration has expanded, so that the Danish Energy Agency has seven official partners namely, BOEM and Department of Energy at federal level and California, New York State, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina at the state level.  

The focus of the collaboration is primarily the regulatory site of offshore wind through the sharing of knowledge and best practices on offshore wind regulation with the purpose of improving regulatory framework conditions. Additionally, we are collaborating on new technologies such as green hydrogen/Power-to-X. As part of our work, we welcome American offshore wind delegations travelling to Denmark to gain knowledge and experience offshore wind farms, ports and production facilities in operation.  

The Danish Energy Agency also cooperates with American authorities on energy efficiency. The collaboration with the California Energy Commission focuses on developing energy efficiency programs for the Californian food and beverage industry taking offspring in the Danish experiences. The partnership focusses on exchanging knowledge, experiences and best practices which accelerate the green transition in buildings and industry. For the industry sector, which accounts for a high share of emissions in both California and Denmark, the dialogue centers around innovative solutions to decarbonize the manufacturing industry and support schemes support their implementation. For the building sector, emphasis is placed on a dialogue on energy requirements in building codes, energy labeling of existing buildings and digitalization.