The US Energy Department has announced the selection of three pioneering offshore wind demonstrations to receive up to US$ 47 million each over the next four years to deploy innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017.
The three projects selected are aimed at deploying offshore wind installations in U.S. waters by 2017. Fishermen’s Energy will install five 5MW direct-drive wind turbines approximately three miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. This project will utilize an US-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 approximately 18 miles off the coast of Coos Bay, Oregon. The US-developed WindFloat semi-submersible floating foundation will be installed in water more than 1,000 feet deep. Dominion Virginia Power will install two 6MW direct-drive wind turbines 26 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, utilizing a US-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.