WINDMILLS AT SEA
by David Gallagher
Originally published in Alternatives Journal, Summer 2002
The winds of change are blowing fast over the world’s oceans, and energy developers intend to harness it. The offshore wind industry is positioned for a huge boost in coming years, with several new project proposals for Europe and North America.
Offshore wind parks (or farms) have sprouted up along the Northern European shoreline, and are now being proposed for the United States and Canada. Existing wind parks are currently in operation off the coast of Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, and the UK. New European offshore projects are being planned for Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Ireland. North American proposals include Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Queen Charlotte Island, British Columbia.
The Irish plan for a 200 turbine wind park on Arklow Banks would be the world’s largest offshore wind park to date. The Arklow Banks are 7km from the south east coast of Ireland, in water depth of a relatively shallow 5-25m.
The Irish Marine and Natural Resources Minister Frank Fahey has lauded the project. “The Arklow Banks project will have three times the combined capacity of all offshore wind farms currently in production in the world. Arklow Banks will become a model development.”
The project will contribute greatly to Ireland meeting its Kyoto targets in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When completed, the Arklow Banks project will supply 10 percent of Ireland’s energy requirements.
ADVANTAGES OF OFFSHORE WIND
Offshore wind parks have decided advantages over their land-based equivalents. The most important considerations are wind speed and reliability. Most land-based sites cannot offer a reliable source of wind, which makes it difficult to find investors willing to gamble on wind power. Most ocean winds are much more constant. Also, average sea wind speeds can be 20 percent higher than on land, resulting in a better energy yield.
These numbers mean that more developers are more willing to invest in offshore sites. These benefits also offset the increased cost of building and maintaining equipment at sea and the technical problems of building turbine bases on the sea bed.
Another problem with land-based wind parks is that they take up a great deal of space, which can be an expensive commodity in Europe and elsewhere. They are also potential eyesores for local residents, who may oppose developers. There are literally hundreds of miles of coastline suitable for building offshore wind parks. For the most part, these are areas that are not in major shipping lanes or fishing areas.
The most obvious advantage to any form of wind power is that it is far cleaner than using fossil fuels. The Arklow Banks site in Ireland, when fully operational, will produce as much as 520MW of electricity. The energy produced will be entirely free of pollutants and will be equal to a reduction of 13.5 million tons of CO2 annually.
INITIAL OPPOSITION
The first offshore wing project in the United States was proposed by Cape Wind Associates, LLC in 2001. The site is located on Horseshoe Shoal, off the southern coast of Cape Cod. There are two other U.S. sites being studied off of Nantucket Island and Long Island.
The Cape Cod plan is currently under review by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Massachusetts State Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The project must also pass muster with numerous other regional, state and federal agencies.
The Cape Wind project has drawn considerable controversy and faces opposition from fishermen, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and even local Chambers of Commerce. Some worry that a large industrial development could harm fragile marine ecosystems. Others believe that fisheries that share the shoals with wind parks will decline, or that bird populations will be harmed by turbine blades. Business owners are concerned that the large development would ruin the pristine, tourist-friendly waters of Cape Cod.
Ron Borjeson, Vice President of the Massachusetts Commercial Fishermen's Association, explains their opposition. "We are 100 percent for the energy concept, but the location is all wrong. Horseshoe Shoal has been a prime fishing area for hundreds of years. This plan would destroy our livelihood."
Brian Braginton-Smith, Vice President of Project Development at Cape Wind Associates, believes he understands the criticism. “People react differently to change. Some people react with fear. We feel that the positive advantages of this plan will overcome these fearful reactions.”
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
Offshore wind parks have not yet become a reality in North America. In addition to the U.S. projects, there is one Canadian proposal — a 700MW proposal off the coast of British Columbia could become the largest wind park in the world. Envisioned as a joint venture between Vancouver-based Uniterre Resources Ltd. and Swiss-German industrial giant ABB Ltd., the site could generate enough energy to power a city of 700,000. The two companies will conduct a feasibility study, and expect to make a decision to proceed sometime in 2003.
While Denmark and the Netherlands were early proponents of offshore wind power, the UK has thoroughly embraced the concept in recent years. The UK has the largest wind resource of any country in Europe, with the offshore resources alone sufficient to power the country nearly three times over, according to some studies.
The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) estimates the 18 offshore sites could supply the annual electricity needs of more than 1.1 million households. BWEA represents about 150 companies involved in the U.K. wind energy business, including 17 of the 18 developers awarded sites.
In December 2001, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) held its Conference on Offshore Wind Energy in Brussels. While current offshore wind energy production is a mere 96MW, the group predicts that by 2020, offshore production could be as high as 50,000MW.
“European seas present a huge resource for indigenous, emissions-free electricity generation,” EWEA said just before the conference.
The group also cites studies that estimate the offshore wind potential of Europe could be as much as 3,000 terrawatt hours of electricity per year — equal to the total use of electricity in the entire European Union.
Because of the rapid increases in wind power constructions in Europe, EWEA has outlined its desired targets for wind energy productions. The targeted wind energy production for 2010 is 60,000MW, of which 5,000MW will be offshore. The target for 2020 is 150,000MW, of which 50,000MW will be offshore. The group states: “Wind power is now a mature industry with a growing potential to make a significant impact on the energy scene in Europe. Wind is a limitless resource – it will be the fuel of the future.”
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© David Gallagher 2005.
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