The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced the first offshore wind energy lease sale for waters off the Oregon coast. In mid-October, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold an auction for floating wind turbines in two areas totaling 195,000 acres with the potential to generate more than 3 GW of renewable energy.

The concept of floating wind turbines dates back to 1972. The first floating, grid-connected wind turbine in the U.S. came in 2013 thanks to a consortium led by the University of Maine. Today, the state is the focus of a floating offshore wind research lease that was awarded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management earlier this year.

Although the number of large-scale floating wind farms globally illustrates a solution that is still in its early stages of development and deployment, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that the U.S. has the potential for nearly three terawatts.