http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/articles/i/5634/?cid=3

Europe's largest onshore wind farm in Romania is now fully operational, while the US is backing offshore wind with the launch of seven new projects.

The 600 MW Fantanele/Cogealac wind farm in Dobrogea, Constanta County, which uses GE's 2.5 MW turbines, is now producing enough energy to power over a million Romanian homes a year.

Developers CEZ Romania, is part of CEZ Group, which is central Europe's largest utility, says the location is one of the most promising wind power regions in the country.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced seven offshore wind awards for projects in Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.

The projects include 'Icebreaker', which will see nine turbines constructed off the Cleveland coast in Lake Erie, a pilot floating offshore wind farm in Maine, trials off floating/semi-submersible turbine foundations in Oregon and Connecticut, and a hurricane-resistant facility in Texas.

Initially, the projects will receive up to $4 million each to complete the engineering, design and permitting phase, before three are selected to go on to get further support for siting, construction and installation.

In total, the projects will receive up to $47 million in total over the next four years, subject to Congressional appropriations.

The awards are as part of the DOE's ongoing efforts to establish a US offshore wind industry with commercial developments coming online by 2017.

"The US has tremendous untapped clean energy resources, and it is important for us to develop technologies that will allow us to utilize those resources in ways that are economically viable," commented Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "[This] announcement of awards to the first offshore wind projects in the US paves the way to a cleaner, more sustainable and more diverse domestic energy portfolio."