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Energy Department Proposes Funding For Ohio's First Offshore Wind Project

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: An energy development group has been working for years to put together Ohio's first offshore wind project. That might sound odd for a state so far from the sea, but the benefits of offshore wind (strong, consistent gusts and relative proximity to major population centers) translate to wind turbines that are placed in freshwater, too. Consequently, an area eight miles off Ohio's Lake Erie coastline is slated to see six new 3.45 megawatt (MW) turbines as part of a 20.7MW pilot installation. On Thursday, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued an Environmental Assessment stating that proceeding with the plan would not cause any "impact to the human environment." In an additional finding published by the DOE this week, the department added that it did not believe that the offshore wind project would cause significant damage to migratory birds, either. Finally, the DOE proposed an unspecified amount of funding for the project, which will be the first freshwater offshore wind project in the US and one of the first offshore wind projects overall. The Lake Erie Energy Department Corporation (LEEDCo) and Norwegian investor Fred Olsen Renewables (FOR) will be developing the "Icebreaker" project, as the turbine installation has been called. "Interestingly, the turbines will be secured to the lake using a 'Mono Bucket' foundation, with a suction-based design that's similar to what's been used on offshore oil-drilling platforms in the North Sea," reports Ars. "The design, LEEDCo says, uses 'the best and lowest-cost technology for sites 25 meters and less.'"

3 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Terrible Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sincerely,

    Exxon-Mobile

  2. Re:Terrible Idea by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am concerned about the natural beauty of the region.

    They are eight miles out. They are barely visible from the shoreline, even on a clear day.

    There is nothing wrong with having that debate.

    You really think you are going to win a debate based on the "natural beauty" of Cleveland, Ohio?

  3. Re:About time by WindBourne · · Score: 1, Funny

    BTW, I am an old fuck. So old, that back in 1977, I DEVELOPED this same wind generator while I was studying at Northern Illinois It has the SAME design in that the generator is NOT turned directly, but is placed on the outside. Now, we have a 10KW solar and Tesla MS, while I work on other ideas. The point is, that I probably know a fucking great deal more than you do.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.