Thesis: Paglia

Thesis: Gianna Paglia

Readiness Index for Offshore Wind Development in the United States

The burgeoning offshore wind (OSW) industry represents a critical opportunity for the United States to advance decarbonization goals, modernize coastal infrastructure, and revitalize regional economies. Despite over 4,000 gigawatts of technical OSW potential, U.S. deployment has lagged due to regulatory complexity, infrastructure constraints, market uncertainty, and policy fragmentation. To better understand regional preparedness for OSW development, this study develops a Regional Readiness Index based on three latent constructs: workforce capacity, infrastructure and supply chain readiness, and policy and regulatory support.

Gianna Paglia
Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and drawing on a diverse array of federal, state, and spatial datasets, the model assesses 390 U.S. coastal counties—regions most directly implicated in OSW activity. The CFA model confirms infrastructure as the most empirically robust dimension, while workforce and policy readiness exhibited weaker or inconsistent measurement. Fit indices indicate moderate model misfit, suggesting the need for simplified structures or alternative modeling approaches.

Additionally, the study highlights spatial mismatches between OSW lease areas and regional readiness scores, revealing critical gaps in infrastructure and workforce proximity that may hinder efficient OSW deployment. The analysis also explores limitations in available data—particularly the absence of permitting, industrial land, and local planning indicators—and proposes refinements to better capture procedural and policy-based readiness. The final readiness index offers a flexible and replicable framework for identifying regional strengths and gaps, with implications for investment, workforce development, and policy coordination to accelerate offshore wind deployment in the United States.
Gianna Paglia

Gianna Paglia

Thesis: Gianna Paglia

Students