US’s Energy Department Announces Three Innovative Offshore Wind Energy Projects

U.S.’s Energy Department has selected three pioneering offshore wind demonstrations to receive four-year subsidies to develop innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017. Each of them can receive up to US$ 47 million. The selected projects are required to deploy more efficient offshore wind power technology to meet the Department’s target of a competitive and sustainable offshore wind industry.

Offshore Wind Turbine (Photo Credit: WikiMedia Commons )

“Offshore wind offers a large, untapped energy resource for the United States that can create thousands of manufacturing, construction and supply chain jobs across the country and drive billions of dollars in local economic investment,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “The Energy Department is working with public and private partners to harness this untapped resource in a sustainable and economic manner. The offshore wind projects announced today further this commitment -- bringing more clean, renewable energy to our homes and businesses, diversifying our energy portfolio, and reducing costs through innovation.”

The Energy Department had announced seven offshore wind demonstration projects in December 2012. The three projects selected today are aimed at deploying offshore wind installations in U.S. waters by 2017:

• Fishermen’s Energy will install five 5MW direct-drive wind turbines off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. This project will utilize an innovative, U.S.-developed twisted jacket foundation that is simpler and less expensive to manufacture and install than traditional offshore wind foundations. Fishermen’s project will act as a laboratory for researchers to learn about offshore wind and investigate interactions between turbines.
• Principle Power will install five 6MW direct-drive wind turbines off the coast of Coos Bay, Oregon. The U.S.-developed WindFloat semi-submersible floating foundation will be installed in water more than 1,000 feet deep, demonstrating an innovative solution for deep water wind turbine projects and lowering costs by simplifying installation and eliminating the need for highly specialized ships. More than 60% of U.S. offshore wind resources are found in deep waters, including the entirety of the West Coast. Deploying offshore wind technologies for deeper water can help capture resources that are found in waters too deep for traditional bottom-mounted foundations.
• Dominion Virginia Power will install two 6 MW direct-drive wind turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach, utilizing a U.S.-designed twisted jacket foundation. Dominion’s project will demonstrate installation, operation and maintenance methods for wind turbines located far from shore. Additionally, the Dominion project will install and test a hurricane-resilient design to ensure that offshore wind facilities placed in hurricane-prone U.S. waters are reliable, safe, and cost-effective.

The proposals from the University of Maine and from the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation offered additional innovative approaches that, with additional engineering and design, will further enhance the properties of American offshore wind technology options. This includes concrete semi-submersible foundations as well as monopile foundations designed to reduce ice loading.

The Energy Department’s efforts to advance innovative offshore wind technologies support the Obama Administration’s comprehensive National Offshore Wind Strategy to develop a sustainable, world-class offshore wind industry. As part of that strategy, the Energy Department continues to work with partners across the government to conduct resource assessments, streamline siting and permitting and overcome technical and market challenges to installation, operations and grid connection. Click HERE for U.S. Energy Department's Offshore Wind Research and Development Web.