Just three short years ago there were five giant wind turbines in the waters off Block Island in Rhode Island. They started spinning 30 MW of electricity to that tiny community of about a thousand residents. While it remains the only offshore wind farm in the U.S., that’s about to dramatically change!
As of April 2018, there were 30 active offshore wind sites in the country and three beginning construction immediately. Additionally, the Block Island Wind Farm, Deepwater Wind (now owned by Orsted) has three other projects in development.
Ørsted, a Danish company, has built more offshore wind farms than any other developer and is now entering the U.S. market with multiple offshore wind projects.
Other developers hoping to bring the next operational offshore wind farm to U.S. waters include~
- Avangrid Renewables has projects in the works from Massachusetts clear down to Virginia with round the clock work happening at Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts and the Kitty Hawk Wind out of Norfolk, VA.
- Empire Wind has a large lease south of Martha’s Vineyard and is working like crazy to get permits to begin other projects south of Long Island.
- Shell and EDP Renewables own a very large bottom lease south of Martha’s Vineyard, MA called Mayflower Wind and they are performing seismic survey work at a feverish pace.
U.S. Department of Energy estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 7,200
terawatt-hours of electricity per year!
January 2020 has ushered in a great economy and and states along the Eastern Seaboard, from Maine to Virginia and are set to join a renewable-energy revolution that not only will provide clean, green electricity, but will also add tens of thousands of jobs to struggling fishing communities and port cities that will spur economic growth in dozens of coastal communities.
You might be wondering how social media and the “Internet of Things” relates to Offshore Wind Farms.
This next decade will be a period of wonderful growth wherein digital marketers and social media industry influencers can capitalize! Providing a pathway for information, opinion and progress within this industry along with, how this will impact future generations!
“Houston -We – Have – A – Problem”
Those familiar with the history of offshore wind in the U.S. will remember how NIMBY-ism derailed Cape Wind, the farm proposed for Nantucket Sound in 2001.
Social Media can be an enemy or it can be an asset. There is a small, but effective anti-Offshore Wind group out there and they are making Offshore Wind out to be the “Villain of the Village“! With an effective Social Media presence Offshore Wind could make clear the veracity of Offshore Wind and future projects to be the “Champion of the Community.”
Don’t you think it would be better to be viewed as the “Champion of the Community”, rather than the “Villain of the Village”?
——Paul Forsberg
To combat a similar situation, Offshore Wind marketers should drive the conversation by crafting a positive narrative around their projects and business by placing op-eds in local newspapers, marketing to local schools for potential employees, and hosting town-halls to educate the community on the benefits of offshore wind energy to facilitate a constructive environment for companies seeking project approval.
This will encourage positive associations within the community you hope to serve, ultimately impacting their willingness to support your project.
You’ll also need to provide community members with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with Offshore Wind Farming and the companies included in the project through positive media headlines or by posting on various social media platforms and message boards.
- Reddit’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) board is a great example to engage with the general online community by answering questions from Redditors with an expert!
- Content such as blogs, infographics, Youtube explainer videos, and even eBooks can steer the conversation from any negative misconceptions and conspiracies into a positive direction, turning staunch opponents into advocates!
- Highly targeted digital marketing strategies such as interactive Facebook pages and paid social media advertisements on Instagram or LinkedIn, paid search advertisements, or even drip-email marketing campaigns can be the difference between reaching your desired audience or just shouting into the internet void.
Marketing automation tools like HubSpot, which can help nurture interested parties with targeted, highly relevant and even personalized content that keeps Offshore Wind Farming top-of-mind!
For far too long the U.S. Offshore Wind boom has been but a distant dream. Developers, suppliers and marketers must engage in their projects’ communities, close communication gaps and increase transparency by providing accessible education materials and interacting with their target audiences through highly targeted touch points.
Here is the challenge – Offshore Wind Companies are extremely busy with permits, surveys, governmental regulations and preparing for construction to give much thought on how to craft and create a positive narrative and this is exactly why Offshore Wind Farm Support was created
At Offshore Wind Farm Support, we’ll continue to monitor for opportunities to assist Off Shore Wind Farming with public relations, community out reach and education, digital marketing, social media marketing and more.We have very talented and committed staff who are chomping at the bit to help Offshore Wind promotion, at every turn!
To learn more and discover how Offshore Wind Farm Support can help, contact us on this website or call 601-SEA-WIND for immediate response.