The US Department of Energy has selected three offshore wind demonstration projects to receive up to $47 million each over the next four years help speed the deployment of innovative, more efficient offshore wind power technologies by 2017.
The three winners were selected from a group of seven projects in DOE's Advanced Technology Offshore Demonstration Project Program, which each received $4 million in funding to complete the engineering, design and permitting work in 2012.
The successful projects look to demonstrate new foundation technology from semi-submersible floating foundations for use in deep water to twisted jacket foundations, both close and far from shore. All three projects will use direct-drive turbines, which don't require as many moving parts compared with standard-geared turbines, leading to increased reliability and reduced operating costs.
Fishermen's Energy project looks to install five XEMC 5-MW DD wind turbines, approximately three miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The project will utilise an innovative, US-developed twisted jacket foundation that is simpler and less expensive to manufacture and install than traditional offshore wind foundations.
For the second project, Principle Power plans to install five Siemens 6-MW DD turbines on US-developed WindFloat semi-submersible floating foundations. Located coast of Coors Bay in Oregon, Principle Power's project hopes to demonstrate an innovative solution for wind turbine projects in water greater than 1000 ft deep. Some 60% of US offshore wind resources, including all those on the West Coast are located in deep waters, and the innovative floating foundation technology has the potential to lower costs by simplifying installation and eliminating the need for highly specialised ships. The WindFloat concept has already been tested off the coast of Portugal.
Finally, Dominion Virginia Power has been awarded funding for its project to install 2 Alstom 6-MW DD wind turbines with a twisted jacket foundation, 26 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The project will demonstrate installation, operation and maintenance methods for wind turbines located far from shore, and also test a hurricane-resilient design.
Two additional proposals from the University of Maine and from the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation offered additional innovative approaches - including concrete semi-submersible foundations as well as monopile foundations designed to reduce ice loading - that, with additional engineering and design, could further enhance the portfolio of American offshore wind technology options. DOE said it would continue to work with those teams to advance their designs to deployment readiness.
By building on its broader efforts to launch a competitive and sustainable offshore wind industry in the United States, DOE says the innovative demonstration projects will help further lower costs, drive greater performance and clear hurdles to installing more utility-scale turbines in US waters.
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