Five companies vie to build wind farms off North Carolina coastline

[octoberlib]

WASHINGTON — Five companies are interested in developing wind farms in the ocean off North Carolina, hoping to take advantage of what could be the East Coast’s most promising chance to create energy through giant turbines anchored to the sea floor.

The idea is embraced by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and the Sierra Club alike, who see North Carolina as the next potential center for renewable energy in America. But big obstacles remain before the whirling farms become a reality. Offshore wind is an expensive form of energy, and Congress is losing interest in federal subsidies to encourage it. There are no offshore wind farms in the United States, although they’re common in Europe.

The federal government asked companies in December if they’d be interested in North Carolina offshore wind development. Five responded positively in filings released Tuesday. One is Virginia Electric and Power Co., part of the Dominion utility that serves Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

The federal government has to finish an environmental study before auctioning the offshore leases. The agency also needs to decide whether to change the areas considered for wind farms in light of newly released public comments. Those include the assertion of the World Shipping Council, a trade association that represents container vessels , that inviting wind farm proposals off Kitty Hawk, N.C., is “dangerous and imprudent” for shipping.
Two potential development areas are between Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Wilmington, N.C., while another is beyond the Outer Banks, across from the island towns of Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and Manteo. All potential areas are at least six miles from shore.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/12/185639/five-companies-vie-to-build-wind.html#emlnl=Daily_News_Update#storylink=cpy

[madokie]

1. Off shore wind farms might be expensive but

nothing compared to nuclear.
Best I can tell anyway

[FBaggins]

2. Nope.

You could try checking before posting.

THe price will eventually come down if we build enough of them, but for now offshore wind is much more expensive.

[FBaggins]

3. Compare Cape Wind to one of the new Westinghouse reactors:

Cape wind will have 130 3.5 MW turbines. With a hoped-for (and reasonable) capacity factor of about 40%, you would expect about 1.6 TWh/year of total generation. Cape Wind is expected to cost $2.6 Billion
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2013/03/18/pro-cape-wind-group-pushes-project-loan-guarantee/Tb7zhTTDEdBzFcdikC6nvK/story.html

The Vogtle reactors appear to have the higher price (compared to VC Summer), so we'll use that. 1100 MW with a capacity factor expected to well exceed 90%. Call it 8.5 TWh/year for something in the neighborhood of $7Billion.

That would put the cost of a Cape Wind MW at about double that of one from Vogtle... except there are additional considerations:

Pro Cape Wind -
No ongoing fuel costs

Pro Reactor -
24/7 power with virtually no unplanned interruptions.
Output from the wind farm will slowly decline over time, while reactors tend to get up-rates down the road.
Cape Wind will last 20-30 years… while Vogtle will last 60-80.

[FogerRox]

4. Cape Wind will never be built. Atlantic Wind Connection, yes.

Cape Wind gives Wind Power a bad name, they are bad neighbors.

[FBaggins]

8. The AWC isn't a wind farm

It's infrastructure necessary to support interconnecting multiple wind farms over many miles.

It obviously isn't going to be built until there are multiple approved projects along the coast.

But you raise a good point that some important infrastructure costs aren't always included in the much higher price of offshore wind that are included in the price for the nuclear plants currently under construction.

[FogerRox]

11. LCOE isnt cost to transmit, its cost to generate.

AFAIK A new nuke plant CLOE doesnt include grid connection when figuring LCOE..

But yes, offshore wind needs significant HVDC work to connect to the grid.

[FogerRox]

5. LCOE for wind is 3.3 to 6.5 cents per Kwh, Fission is 10-12 cents. New Construction.

Offshore HVDC projects like the Atlantic Wind Connection are needed to get power to the grid. AWC is slated to cost 5 billion, and would support 1700 4mw turbines.

[badtoworse]

6. Where did that number come from?

Is that onshore of offshore wind? There is a big difference

[FogerRox]

10. Wind came from Berkeley National Labs others from IEA.

IIRC the 6.6 cents came from offshore, which is still super competitive with Nat gas. And remember Wind and Solar are trending down.

[FBaggins]

9. Feel free to cite some actual proposed offshore projects that come close to that.

Or just look to the UK where all indications put offshore wind subsidies at 40-55% higher than the cost for new nuclear plants (and with much shorter lifespans).

[marions ghost]

7. Better than fracking

Go for it NC.