Who is Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA), and what do they do?

The Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) is a partnership of leading offshore wind developers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders that are working together to promote the growth and development of the global offshore wind industry.

The primary goal of GOWA is to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind energy worldwide by bringing together key players in the industry to collaborate and share knowledge. The alliance aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices, develop industry standards, and promote the benefits of offshore wind power.

GOWA's work includes advocacy and policy development, research and analysis, and the organization of events and conferences. The alliance also provides a platform for networking and collaboration among its members, which include companies and organizations from across the offshore wind supply chain.

Overall, the Global Offshore Wind Alliance is an important organization in the offshore wind industry, working to drive the growth and development of this renewable energy source and promote its role in the transition to a more sustainable energy future. The alliance was established in 2022 at COP27 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and the Danish government.

Alliance member countries include Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Saint Lucia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with more countries expected to join.

Offshore wind's untapped potential

According to forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and IRENA, a capacity of 2,000 GW of offshore wind needs to be installed by 2050 to keep the global temperature increase to a maximum of 1.5 °C and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. According to an analysis from the World Bank's Global Wind Atlas mapping of offshore wind resources, more than 71,000 GW of offshore wind capacity is technically recoverable worldwide. Yet global installed offshore wind capacity was only 57 GW in 2021.