(The Center Square) − LSU’s Institute for Energy Innovation has awarded nearly $1 million in funding to support five research projects aimed at advancing clean energy technologies in Louisiana.
The projects focus on offshore wind, biofuels and carbon transport safety — each of which have been touted as critical to the state’s so-called all-of-the-above approach.
One of the largest awards — $249,858 over two years — was granted to a team studying geological and physical conditions for wind farm development off the coast of Cameron Parish. Researchers will analyze the area’s sediment layers and storm risks to help determine the safest and most stable locations for future offshore wind turbines.
“This is a project related to wind energy and coastal research,” said Kehui Xu, co-principal investigator on the project, during the event. “To build a wind farm in shallow water, you have to deal with high-energy ocean conditions and mobile sediment, which can pose hazards to the wind farm’s foundation.”
Xu said the team plans to compile historical geological data, conduct field surveys, and use seismic profilers and core sampling tools to locate compacted sand layers that can support wind infrastructure — even during Category 5 hurricanes.
The site under review is in shallow state waters just south of Calcasieu Lake.
While Louisiana does not currently have any offshore wind farms, the area is being considered for development by Steelhead Americas, a subsidiary of global wind giant Vestas. Xu said the study’s findings could help guide wind development not only in Louisiana, but in other coastal areas around the world where Vestas operates.
The project comes at a time when federal tax incentives for solar, wind, and energy storage are facing uncertain futures in the U.S. Congress’s budget bill.
Under the recent Senate amendments, production and investment tax credits for solar and wind projects would gradually phase out and terminate by the end of 2027, with limited exceptions for large-scale installations on federal lands. However, battery storage projects — critical to integrating intermittent renewables like wind — would retain access to those credits until 2036, although the value of the incentives would taper over time.
Another project, awarded $99,959 over two years, will evaluate Louisiana’s biofuel potential using field-level data and stakeholder input. Researchers aim to identify investable opportunities for biomass and renewable fuel production, informing future research and commercial investment.
A separate award of $149,990 over two years will support the development of machine learning tools to predict potential hazards in carbon dioxide pipelines. The goal is to enhance safety in carbon capture and storage systems by better anticipating multi-hazard risks.
Carbon capture and sequestration was a most salient topic in the recently adjourned legislative session. Several bills were introduced that would have effectively kneecapped the technology in the state. One bill criminalized it altogether.
Locals in rural areas had expressed deep concerns and their representatives went to bat for them accordingly. Still, very few bills passed and the ones that did impose little regulation on the technology.
