KITTA MacPHERSON / RUTGERS TODAY – A Rutgers research project focused on offshore wind energy is poised to make New Jersey a global leader in the field in a little more than a decade.

The effort being launched by Rutgers researchers includes two key components: The design of a so-called Net-Zero Wind Energy Test (WET) Center, a warehouse-size testing facility to be potentially located somewhere close to the Jersey Shore; and the creation of a much smaller WET Lab which will be located on the Rutgers University–New Brunswick campus.

The new venture, which aims to address scientific and engineering challenges in testing a floating offshore wind turbine, will position Rutgers at the center of what is expected to be one of the most ambitious wind power research projects in the United States …