Footnotes

The Allure of German Wind

So it appears as though Representative Delahunt likes wind power. He's going on a junket to Germany to investigate. All's well on the European front at Borkum West. And that's the allure of deepwater wind.

But... he doesn't like it in the shallow waters of Nantucket Sound. "[He's] concerned about the project's impact on the environment there," said Mark Forest, Delahunt's spokesman [1]. Pardon us while we mention that after five years and thousands of pages of reports on the environmental impacts of the Cape Wind project it has been determined time and time again that the many positive public benefits far outweigh any negative environmental impact. 

So what to do? Delahunt will ask German experts to assess the feasibility of coastal sites in deep water here, reports Sue Reinert in The Patriot Ledger [2]. Albeit the Germans haven't built any offshore windfarms yet. But not to worry. "If we can interest them in Massachusetts... we could be talking not only about the development of a renewable energy site, but also of binging new jobs to this area," Delahunt said [3].

It's as if the German government will donate $65 million [4] to Massachusetts for an experimental deepwater windfarm in Massachusetts as they are at home. Nice try, but really?

The reality of deepwater wind

Experimental? Well... yes. Hopefully our seemingly wind energy embracing Congressman knows that this is the first German offshore project. It's called Borkum West, a joint research program launched by the government and energy utilities Vattenfall, E.ON, EWE AG, and wind-turbine manufacturers REpower and Multibrid. The utilities are adding $165 million to build the small 12-turbine wind farm in water up to 100 feet deep in the Baltic Sea some 35 miles from land [5].

But that's not all... (to mimic the typical TV come-on). The cost of that long landfall cable will be nearly $240 million with another donation of $40 million by the German State [6].

So what's the price of the Borkum experimental windfarm? The total cost is $470 million for this 60 megawatt (MW) project and reveals a unit investment of almost $8 million per MW installed.

The German project is not unlike the Talisman experiment off Scotland in water 150 feet deep at a price of about $6 million/MW installed [7].  It's another government sponsored research project where much of the cost is in individual four-legged lattice type steel foundations that weigh 1,250 tons [8] for each turbine. And the Talisman price tag doesn't include a landfall cable.

Not to throw water on costly research projects, which is always a necessary and commendable step to future progress, but there needs to be a word of prudence.  In a cautious statement Talisman Energy has said "current forecasts for electricity prices will never render this Demonstrator Project economic." [9]

Back from the future

Hopefully, while Delahunt is in Europe he will stop in Denmark, Sweden, and England where he could examine fourteen operating shallow water windfarms and another eleven under construction [10]. With 15 years of operational experience with negligible environmental impacts, these economically viable projects are indeed models for the world at large.

Shallow water windfarms in Europe at depths up to 60 feet have established a unit expenditure of about $2.5 million/MW installed [11]. That's about the same as expected for the Cape Wind project. At that level, a reasonable profit can be made without government subsidies for construction. And it's being done now with a maturing mono-pole technology.

It's a long reach to believe that one can jump to deepwater wind at three times the capital cost believing the investment can be significantly reduced through price reductions on tripod or quadra-pile steel towers and costly undersea cable technology [12]. Even the economic tradeoffs of stronger winds far offshore must be balanced with impediments to servicing turbines in higher wave heights that result in a lower availability due to extended down time.  

Must we wait?

The question is should we be a victim of procrastination waiting 10 to 20 years for the deployment of economically viable deepwater wind energy systems both here and in Europe?

In the mean time, we can make significant progress to mitigate global warming on a local basis by avoiding a million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fueled generators by building the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound now [13]. As Nathanael Greene, senior policy analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council says, "the Cape Wind project is, to our knowledge, the largest single source of supply side reductions in CO2 currently proposed in the US."  

Progress from shallow to gradually deeper alternative sites off New England as listed in both the Army Corps and MMS documents [14] await only proposals and permitting decisions from federal agencies.

Alas, if in 20 years deepwater wind is firmly established as an economically viable source of electricity, the early shallow water projects can be removed. In fact a decommissioning bond is required as part of the federal lease for Cape Wind.

We believe it's essential to begin in Nantucket Sound with current proven technology and evolve to deeper water as the learning curve levels out to where the inevitable price increase of diminishing fossil fuels and their expensive emission controls makes more costly deepwater wind viable.

We do agree with Representative Delahunt that ‘‘Wind is to New England what oil is to Saudi Arabia.'' [15]. However, it would be a tragedy to wait a decade or two for unfounded reasons and the unknown economic advantages of deepwater wind when we can start now.

Barbara Hill

Executive Director, Clean Power Now 

Charles Kleekamp, P.E. Ret.

Vice President, Clean Power Now
 _____________________________

Footnotes:

1. "Delahunt on wind power mission: In Germany, he'll discuss feasibility of deep-water projects off N.E. coast," by Sue Reinert, The Patriot Ledger, January 23, 2007.

2. Ibid., Ledger

3. "Going deep to renew energy," by Karen Jeffery, Cape Cod Times, January 17, 2007.

4. "Germany eyes offshore wind," UPI, December 1, 2006.

5. Ibid., UPI

6. Ibid., UPI

7. "The Allure of deep-water wind power," by Charles Kleekamp, The Upper Cape Codder, June 1, 2006. Talisman is using the same Repower 5 MW turbines as proposed for 6 of the Borkum turbines.

8. "Beatrice Wind Farm Demonstrator Project Scoping Report," Talisman Energy, Section 3.4 Method of Fixing Substructure to Seabed, p. 10 of 57.

9. Q&A Talisman Energy, http://www.beatricewind.co.uk/

10. List of operating offshore windfarms in Europe. Denmark: Vindeby 1991, Tuno Knob 1995, Middelgrunden 2001, Horns Rev 2002, Nysted 2003, Samsoe 2003. Sweden: Gotland-Bockstigen 1998, Utgrunden 2001, Yttre Stengrund 2001. Ireland: Arklow Bank 2003. United Kingdom: North Hoyle 2003, Scroby Sands 2004, Barrow Offshore 2006, Kentish Flats 2005.  List of offshore windfarms under construction now and scheduled during 2007: Sweden: Oresund Lillgrund. Netherlands: Egmond NWS, Windpark Q7-WP. United Kingdom: Inner Dowsing, Lynn Skegness, Gunfleet Sands, Rhyl Flats, Burbo Bank, Teeside, Robin Rigg, Shell Flat

11. "Offshore Wind Energy Potential for the United States," Walt Musial, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wind Powering America - Annual State Summit, May 19, 2005, Slide #4: Shallow offshore costs range from 1500€/kW to 2200 €/kW, Horns Rev ~1650€/kW. In U.S. dollars, that's about $1.95 to $2.86 million/MW with Horns Rev at $2.15 million/MW.

12. An example is the Cross Sound Cable between Connecticut and Long Island constructed in 2002 is a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system. It is 25 miles long and can transmit a maximum power of 330 MW. It cost $150 million.

13. "Findings of the Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board,"  EFSB 02-2, July 2, 2004, p. 168.

14. List of alternate sites just off the Massachusetts coast mentioned are: Tuckernuck Shoal, Handkerchief Shoal, South of Tuckernuck Island, Nantucket Shoals, Monomoy Shoals and East of Nauset Beach.

15. "Going deep to renew energy," by Karen Jeffrey, Cape Cod Times, January 17, 2007.

 

About Clean Power Now

Clean Power Now is a non-profit grassroots organization that informs citizens and empowers them to support viable renewable energy projects and policies, and to secure their local and regional benefits.

We believe that the timely development of such projects, in conjunction with energy efficiency and conservation, will bring about a clean, healthy environment, an improved economy and a more secure, sustainable America.

Our immediate focus is to increase citizen support of offshore wind power in Nantucket Sound.