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Offshore wind enters the US
Wed, 04/02/2008 - 01:00 — margot
The US is not a small player in wind energy, but, to date, offshore wind farms have not been built. This is soon to end however with plans for offshore sites in Delaware, Massachuchets and Texas. And California? It may soon follow.
We talk with Mike Dvorak, an aspiring wind engineer and scientist at Stanford University. Mike carefully researched available wind along the California coasts, and conducted feasibility studies for various potential sites. Cape Mendicino may well become California's Cape Wind.
See also Mike's paper on the proposed Cape Mendocino wind park and a California offshore wind research map .
Comments
Cape Mendicino Power Farm
Mon, 04/07/2008 - 03:12 — Eric (not verified)Good ideas. State of California should really follow through. Who will fund this project? PG&E? Funding from state? Combination? (probably). Who will fund the necessary infrastructure to get the power to the grid? Any back-ups for low wind days? This was a similar problem in Texas not too long ago.
I am also interested in this for the state of Michigan. Wind maps indicate good power resource along the western coast in the lake, in the thumb area, and along the southern coast of Lake Superior.
Do you think it's possible to encourage GE to build a turbine similar to the REPower 5M? I think larger turbines will ultimately be the trend. Much development work is needed, however, in improving construction / fabrication techniques to speed up production and installation.
Thank you for this website.
Reply
Wed, 04/09/2008 - 02:40 — margotCalifornia has not funded any offshore wind project research as far as we know, but is getting more interested in offshore wind projects, as is PG&E.
However, there is a large transmission constraint on the North Coast of California, which will add to the expense of an offshore wind farm. Who contributes to funding for the extra infrastructure is generally decided case by case.
Some backups are always necessary for wind power, as it is an intermittent energy resource. Mike's study found that the wind resource off the North Coast is more consistent throughout the day than most wind resources, especially during the summer months. My guess is that in the near future, energy storage technologies will improve, and raw backup power demands will be reduced.
Clipper Wind, a California based company is developing a
7.5 MW turbine. GE has a 3.6 MW offshore turbine, but we are not sure what state of development that is at.