Ocean Energy Wind Power

The Blackstone Group, one of the largest private equity groups in the U.S., announced on August 7, 2008, the formation of its Cleantech Energy Group and introduced a plan to invest over $1.5 billion in a German offshore wind farm. Unlike the T. Boone Pickens-Plan to free the U. S. from dependence on foreign oil, the Blackstone Plan is motivated by sound investment judgement. Denmark, Germany, U.K., Belgium, Sweeden, Finland, Netherlands and Ireland have been active in offshore wind development for over 18 years, and they continue to expand the success of their offshore wind energy programs. When combined with new initiatives in the U.S. and elsewhere, these programs are expected to grow at a rate of better than 50% per year over the next five years. OBOE plans to be part of that growth with an initial focus on offshore wind in the waters of  North Carolina in strategically sited high-wind-velocity corridors.

The development of an offshore wind park by Bluewater Wind off the coast of Delaware and the 140 turbine wind park proposed by Cape Wind off the coast of Cape Cod are among the first in U.S. offshore wind development. The Bluewater Wind project signed a 25-year contract in June, 2008, to deliver 200 megawatts of power to Delmarva Power.

Courtesy of the Crown Estate, London, England

Airtricity, one of Europe’s leading renewable energy companies, and Fluor Corporation, in the U.S., are the joint venture developers of this 500 megawatt wind farm (pictured left) offshore at Greater Gabbard in the U.K. The project will install 140 turbines that will provide electricity to over 415,000 homes and will cut CO² emissions by 1.5 million tons per year, or the equivalent of removing 350,000 automobiles from the road per year.

Shawn Fitzpatrick points out the different components of a wind turbine to NPS workshop attendees.

The first grid-tied wind turbine in Eastern North Carolina (pictured at the right) is located in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Federal Park.  The turbine was built by a partnership between the North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University, the Rochester Institute of Technology’s University-National Park Energy Partnership Program, the U.S. National Park Service and the North Carolina State Energy Office with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Installed in 2005 by the North Carolina Solar Center and Park Services personnel, the purposes are to provide electricity for a National Park Facility and to send excess electricity to the grid. It was dedicated into the North Carolina GreenPower program in April 2007.

Turbine Facts:

• 20 meters tall
• Rated at 2.5 kilowatts
• Will generate ~ 6,000 killowatts-hour per year
• Downwind system
• Built for high winds