After seeing a map of offshore wind potential, Virginia does not reach out as a prime candidate for the limited climate dollars available. However, as seen at the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, there are a number of benefits to expand offshore wind to the Chesapeake Bay area surround Norfolk & Newport News.
The natural bay also has the inherent advantage of being near a major population hub in Virginia. During construction; parts, labor, and equipment can be brought in via the area’s abundance of transportation networks: highways, airports, train yards, and ports. Additionally, through the Naval shipyards in the Norfolk/Newport News area, there is already a network of trained and experienced offshore construction workers established in the area.
However, costs are still high. The majority of the price of the proposed offshore wind project is made up of the costs of Turbines (~66%), underwater Power Cables (~15%), and the Monopiles that hold up the turbines (~12%).
The Levelized Costs of Electricity are $105 to $130 MWh, compare that to Natural Gas, $80 to $100, or Coal, $85 to $100.
Based on previous offshore wind projects, a Pricewater House Cooper survey showed that the vast majority of offshore wind projects met and exceeded their Cost of Capital and posted a Post-Tax IRR of around 10 to 15%.
You can see the Virginia – Offshore Wind ppt presentation for a more in-depth look at the issue. Or also visit Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition for more details.
Kauffman, this is just the sort of solution we need. It goes to show that with a little funding for science and math education, we can develop a generation of inventors that can lead us to a “windier” future. A pun was quite intended. The Japanese have showed they can produce creative technologies from efficient cars to mind-bending video games, and now to efficient and cost-effective energy sources. What do you think about that? I believe that this could be the answer we’ve been looking for. Now the problem here is that with the political season upon us, it is likely that politicians will promise tougher trade restrictions, which will undoubtedly put a hamper on the trade of ideas and technology. If we were to acquire the technology from Japan and somehow utilize it in our most windy states, this could definitely make a difference in the energy mix. Currently, the energy mix is coal and gas heavy. This could definitely change if we adopt lower trade barriers, allowing us to harness the true power of the wind from Japan.
Furthermore, have you had a chance to think about the off-shore solar idea? I know it may be difficult, but I have been thinking of designs that could really be effective in capturing the energy. I propose we build off-shore solar roughly 20-30 feet from the ocean’s surface. Furthermore, the solar panels would be on both sides (on the top and bottom as well). That way energy is captured directly from the sun from the top and also from the bottom when the sun reflects off of the ocean’s surface. If done correctly, each panel would be capable of producing at least 15 MW of capacity. A couple miles worth of these and we could potentially power New York City or even Bangor, Maine. What do you think about this possibility. Let me know.
http://bit.ly/cheaperwind
Sorry for the correction, but I meant to say “wind can potentially damage much of the United States’ infrastructure when in the form of hurricanes and tornadoes.”
I do not want to give the wrong impression in saying that a little wind is bad for the country.
Mr. Daubenspeck,
This is some great analysis you have done here. Now from my experience, I think wind is a great resource. What do you think? If we are to become more self-sufficient, we need more wind. But the question is, do you think it’s possible? I, for one, do not know the implications of more wind. Wind can potentially damage much of the United State’s infrastructure. What do you feel about the prospects of that? It seems to me that there are other options on the table as well. For example, off-shore solar. Have you done research on such possibilities? To me, it seems that if off-shore solar were to gain ground, it could really pave the way for future energy interdependence, which will eventually get us off of the dependence on resources such as oil, coal and even natural gas. This, of course, leads us to the age-old question, what do we do about climate change? The answer lies in your report: costs. If we reduce the costs of virtually every form of renewable energy, it is very possible to become 100% reliant on renewable energy. I know from experience that building a solar panel or a wind turbine on a roof or small complex is extremely expensive. The cost savings one gets from installing more efficient energy sources do not even come close to outweighing the costs to build them. We can learn a lot from the Chinese in this case. They have built a system that’s very efficient in producing cheap parts for wind and solar. We can do the same here, we just need to break the taboo that what other foreign countries do is inherently “wrong” or “evil.” There’s much to do, but we are on the right track.
Thank you for acknowledging and bringing to light this very important issue. If more people are aware of this problem, we can get the ball rolling and really work towards a 100% renewable America.