RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dominion Virginia Power will receive $47 million over the next four years to construct two wind turbines 26 miles off the coast for testing in ocean waters subject to hurricanes, the U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday.

The demonstration project, among three nationally announced by DOE, is intended to speed U.S. development of wind power in vast ocean tracts. The nation lags behind Europe and Asia in the development of offshore wind, making wind power an expensive green energy alternative.