Offshore Wind Wire

On Aug. 4, scientists and personnel from the Savannah River National Laboratory and the Clemson University Restoration Institute installed a SODAR wind measurement tool on a Coast Guard platform off the South Carolina coast, the Aiken Standard reported.

SRNL, CURI, electric utility Santee Cooper, Clemson’s Institute for Energy Studies, Coastal Carolina University, the Center for Hydrogen Research and the U.S. Coast Guard make up the South Carolina Consortium for Offshore Wind, according to the Standard.  In an effort to accurately gauge the state’s offshore wind potential, the group installed Second Wind’s Triton Sonic Wind Profiler on the platform.

The paper quoted Ralph Nichols, who leads SRNL’s wind initiatives, saying that “the use of SODAR could reduce the cost of offshore wind energy exploration, significantly improve offshore wind energy forecasts and accelerate the offshore wind energy development.”

Countries Estimate Offshore Wind Costs

Windpower Monthly reported Friday on efforts to estimate the operations and maintenance cost of offshore wind power.  Based on figures reported to the International Energy Agency, the cost of operations and maintenance in the United States is $24 per megawatt/hour (MWh).

The magazine reports that there is no consensus on offshore costs, but the British experience suggest operations and maintenance cost could be brought below $15 per MWh for some projects.

Another New York Elected Body Opposes Great Lakes Wind

The town board of Webster, NY, has voted to oppose offshore wind turbines in Lake Ontario or Lake Erie, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.