Demonstration Projects Improve Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind Manufacturing

The University of Maine’s floating VolturnUS wind turbine prototype is anchored off the coast of Castine, Maine. Image courtesy of the University of Maine

Energy consumption in the coastal states amounts to roughly 80% of the U.S. electricity demand, making offshore wind a crucial aspect of the country’s renewable energy mix. Since 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has supported a portfolio of advanced wind energy technology demonstration projects representing some of the nation’s most innovative offshore wind projects in state and federal waters—including expediting the design process for commercial-scale foundation manufacturing and developing offshore wind turbine foundations that reduce installation time and costs. These projects are intended to address key challenges associated with installing full-scale offshore wind turbines, connecting offshore turbines to the power grid, and navigating new permitting and approval processes. 

After making significant progress on engineering and project development activities, DOE onboarded Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation’s (LEEDCo’s) Icebreaker project and the University of Maine’s New England Aqua Ventus I into the Advanced Technology Demonstration Program for Offshore Wind in May 2016.

The University of Maine has demonstrated a 1:8-scale prototype of their floating VolturnUS foundation—a concrete semisubmersible structure that has been scaled up to support a 6-megawatt direct-drive turbine. Two of the VolturnUS platforms are planned to be deployed in deep waters off the coast of Monhegan Island, Maine. Using knowledge gained during the prototype stage, the university and its partners have focused on commercial-scale manufacturing of the full-scale foundation, which has resulted in increased design efficiency by reducing the internal steel requirements and improving the manufacturability of the foundation.

LEEDCo plans to install six 3.45-megawatt direct-drive turbines in Lake Erie, 8 miles off the coast of Cleveland, Ohio, for its Icebreaker project. After significant engineering analysis, LEEDCo selected Mono Bucket foundations to support the turbines, which will not require pile driving. This innovative foundation concept is expected to reduce installation time, costs, and environmental impacts in both the Great Lakes region and in offshore applications off the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.