On May 31, 2013, the University of Maine and the Advanced Structures & Composite Center will put the United States in the lead as a safe energy innovator by launching the first-in-the world floating deepwater wind turbine that will be connected to the land-based electrical grid.  The Volturn wind turbine is the first of its kind with a advanced composite floating hull and tower. It is the product of the collaborative steppingstone effort to harvest 5 Gigawatts of renewable offshore wind from the Gulf of the Maine by 2030.  The launch paves the way for the first full scale deep water deployment of the 6 MWe floating turbine in 2016. And please see the Beyond Nuclear press release.