Floating offshore wind may carry billions in worth to the west coast, report exhibits
by Workers Writers
Richland WA (SPX) Oct 16, 2023
A brand new report from Pacific Northwest Nationwide Laboratory exhibits that alongside a 200-mile stretch of ocean off the coast of southern Oregon and northern California, floating wind farms may doubtlessly triple the Pacific Northwest’s wind energy capability whereas offsetting doubtlessly billions of {dollars} in prices for utilities, ratepayers, insurance coverage firms, and others throughout the West who bear the price of local weather change’s results.
“This analysis is all about unlocking an untapped supply of provide the place there may be restricted transmission and little potential to maneuver that electrical energy at present,” stated Travis Douville, lead creator on the report and an advisor at PNNL who leads analysis on integrating wind power into the grid. “Offshore wind affords a large alternative to decarbonize the western United States.”
The nation’s energy provide is cut up into three separate grids, with the western interconnection offering energy to greater than 80 million individuals over 14 states within the western United States and two Canadian provinces. The brand new report dives into future situations the place floating offshore wind farms are linked to the shore between Coos Bay, OR, and Eureka, CA, by way of massive transmission lines-and the worth these wind farms may carry to utilities and ratepayers alike.
The advantages of offshore wind
Land-based wind farms throughout the USA already produce greater than 140 gigawatts of power, contributing to about 10% of the nation’s power portfolio. At the moment, the federal authorities goals to put in 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and to extend that quantity to 110 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050. That a lot wind energy may energy tens of million of properties and minimize greater than 78 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
One of many perks of offshore wind turbines-whether they’re connected to the ocean ground or floating on the surface-versus land-based is that wind over the ocean is much less variable and extra constant, stated Mark Severy, a analysis engineer at PNNL and coauthor on the report. Wind over land is usually extra variable as a result of it might be influenced by the complicated relationship between the environment and landscapes like mountains, valleys, flat plains, or forests.
Wind over the ocean additionally tends to peak within the evenings, which may assist provide energy when photo voltaic power dips because the solar units, Severy stated. In locations like California, the place photo voltaic power makes up many of the renewable energy, utilities may flip to wind energy within the evenings, when demand typically goes up, as an alternative of fossil fuels to energy properties.
Modeling floating offshore wind power
To fulfill the nation’s bold wind energy targets, potential offshore wind farms have to be fastidiously studied and deliberate. And together with constructing floating wind generators within the ocean, researchers can even have to determine learn how to carry the facility they generate to land and join it with {the electrical} grid.
One problem is figuring out whether or not already current transmission infrastructure may help incoming power from offshore wind. In a earlier research, Douville and different researchers discovered that offshore wind may provide 3 gigawatts of power with upgrades to Oregon’s present transmission strains. That is sufficient power to energy 1 million properties.
However what about sooner or later, with extra transmission strains and an elevated potential to move power? “How do you harness offshore wind power in a means that permits you to adequately, reliably, and resiliently provide electrical energy sooner or later at lowest price?” Douville stated. “And what’s the function of transmission design to affect the worth of offshore wind?”
To search out out, the group modeled totally different transmission situations, two of which symbolize a future the place offshore wind farms and new, highly effective transmission strains add an extra 20 gigawatts value of wind energy to the western interconnection. Each situations embrace high-voltage direct present (HVDC) transmission strains to hold energy, which might then be transformed to alternating present (AC) as soon as onshore (DC can transmit increased voltages and thus extra power, however must be transformed to AC to be distributed to the tip customers).
The 2 situations differ in whether or not every wind farm is linked individually to shore (in a radial construction) or whether or not the wind farms are linked to one another, then to shore (a spine construction).
Though each transmission situations supplied hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in worth, the spine construction affords barely totally different advantages, Severy stated. Within the radial situation, energy can solely go to 1 place-wherever the wind farm is linked on the coast-and then distributed from there. Within the spine construction, energy may be diverted up and down the coast.
For instance, “in instances when there’s extra photo voltaic technology in California, we discovered that the spine gives one other pathway for that electrical energy to go to the Pacific Northwest and when there may be plenty of hydropower within the Pacific Northwest, the spine is one other pathway south, exterior of the congested transmission strains on the I-5 hall,” Severy stated.
Though both possibility can be costly, “the advantages exceed the prices in almost each situation,” Douville stated. In these situations the place advantages exceed the prices, the values of the varied returns on funding vary between $127 million to $6 billion. These numbers symbolize financial savings to supply and provide energy in addition to prevented price of the consequences of air air pollution and destruction wrought by climate-change-related disasters.
Challenges for offshore wind improvement
Douville pressured that many extra questions must be answered earlier than an offshore wind plan may be executed. Many of those questions will come into give attention to the West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Examine, which kicked off in Could 2023 and goals to find out how the nation can develop transmission to harness offshore wind energy on the West Coast.
As an illustration, researchers and policymakers want to think about how transmission strains will fare underwater. Sea ground depth and slope may have an effect on the place cable could possibly be laid, and salt water may be very corrosive, stated Jason Fuller, chief power resilience engineer at PNNL. Upkeep could possibly be robust, relying on how deep the cables are laid. As well as, the nation merely hasn’t used HVDC as a lot as AC on the grid, and modeling HVDC with present instruments may be tough. PNNL researchers are engaged on modeling the efficiency of HVDC strains to help the offshore wind work.
Researchers and policymakers can even have to think about different stakeholders who rely on the ocean, together with fisheries and different coastal communities.
“Early coordinated transmission planning results in extra economical options, for utilities, ratepayers, and society as a complete,” stated Douville. “If we plan now for what we expect the grid will appear to be 20 years from now, and policymakers can use these insights to information improvement, we’ll find yourself with a greater resolution.”
Associated Hyperlinks
DOE/Pacific Northwest Nationwide Laboratory
Wind Vitality Information at Wind Each day
