WINDPOWER FOR THE WIN
MEGAWATTS SENT FROM OFFSHORE
Wind energy is hitting its stride on a more global scale. It’s exciting to see a potential tipping point of acceptance in the headlights. Cutting-edge tech now also means solving the issues that bring pushback. Where towering turbines are considered eyesores and environmentally hazardous, the tethered wind is a solution. The cost of investing in the industry also needs to be considered.
We’ve taken a look at World Wide Wind and its floating turbines. As we were hearing from Rob Creighton at Windlift about their scaled-back, developer-friendly, tethered wind approach, major offshore wind developments in a crucial proving ground were folding. Supply disruptions, rising costs of construction and interest rates, and permitting delays are impacting commercial viability.
About 16% of the world’s energy is used in the U.S., where more than half the population lives along the eastern seaboard. It’s ripe for the development of offshore wind as part of a plan to make a major dent in climate impacts. Yet, Spanish utility Iberdrola U.S. subsidiary, Avangrid, canceled planned projects off of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and Ørsted dropped plans for two off of New Jersey.
But here is one way the trend may get back on track.
In an awkward dance, the State of New York is working to revive the 1.26-gigawatt Empire Wind 2 project. Developers Equinor and BP walked away from the plan in October after a state agency denied their request for an increase in financial relief. But in November, another state energy agency announced it was accepting applications for a new offtake agreement process, with winners decided as soon as February. It is open to all potential developers. Equinor and BP intend to be back on board.
The takeaway here is that those “elephant in the room” regulatory processes are the linchpin. It’s become clear private industry will lead the way with climate solutions, but governments still have the power to make or break them.
How can they be motivated in the right direction?
Definitive climate laws – legal mandates - appear to be giving New York a proper tailwind. It’s been four years since it committed to sourcing 70% of energy from renewables by 2030 and 100% by 2040, as well as 9GW of offshore wind by 2035. Desperate times are here, but the measures have yet to reflect that.
The Public Power New York Coalition commissioned the “Mind the Gap” report for an assessment. The gist of it is that with increased momentum of private sector renewable projects and better energy conservation measures, 2030 will bring only 61% renewable use. If projects continue to stall and energy demand continues to rise, it will top out at only 45%.
All eyes will be on what’s happening off the coast a little further north. In December, a joint wind farm being built by Ørsted and Eversource had begun sending electricity to Long Island. Just before midnight on January 3, one of the five turbines at Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ Vineyard Wind project began sending about 5MW to the Massachusetts grid. An industry leader called it a “watershed moment.”
