America’s floating offshore wind industry will take on Maine

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The US state of Maine, with its rugged, rocky coastline, may seem one of the least likely places to launch offshore wind energy. Nevertheless, the Granite State was preparing for such an event in the early 21st century, and all their dreams could come true.

Another big step for Maine’s offshore wind industry

The biggest news in the Maine region is the environmental review of the new marine lease area. In a statement released yesterday, the U.S. Office of Ocean Energy Management announced that it has awarded a final environmental impact assessment for an exploratory-scale offshore wind facility southeast of Portland, Maine.

“After careful consideration of the alternatives described and analyzed in the Final EA, as well as comments from the public and collaborating and consulting agencies on the Draft EA, BOEM determines that issuance of a lease for wind energy research in the proposed offshore lease area in Maine and related to site characteristics and site assessment activities would not have a significant impact on the environment,” BOEM stated.

It is planned to launch up to 12 wind turbines in the offshore area with a total capacity of up to 144 megawatts.

This is small compared to other offshore locations on the Atlantic coast, but it is a huge step for a country that is ready to take on unique challenges in the field of offshore wind energy. If all goes according to plan, BOEM predicts that up to 15 gigawatts of clean kilowatt offshore energy could be obtained from the Gulf of Maine.

The characterization of the lease area as a research site also means that BOEM can expedite the approval process without having to issue an Environmental Impact Statement, which is required under the National Environmental Policy Act for commercial offshore wind leases.

Floating offshore wind turbines to the rescue

If you’re wondering how Maine will cope with a less-than-optimal coastline, that’s a good question. Aside from the rocks and unusual tidal activity in some areas, most of the state’s major wind resources are in waters too deep for the conventional offshore turbines found elsewhere on the Atlantic coast, perched atop tall monopiles dug into the seabed.

The answer is new floating offshore wind technology. Instead of resting on monopiles, floating wind turbines are installed on platforms attached to the seabed by cables.

Compared to single-pile turbines, floating wind turbines require a much more complex engineering task, which explains why they are only just starting to appear in the offshore wind industry (see more stories about floating turbines here).

Floating wind turbines for the USA

The U.S. Department of Energy supports floating wind research programs here in the U.S., only to see the technology spread to France and elsewhere.

Part of the challenge is the relatively high cost of floating platforms. Researchers in Maine have been studying this aspect for years, and progress has long been visible.

CzystaTechnica have caught up to 2019, when we noted that the state’s wind farms “suffered a disappointing blow” a few years earlier in 2014.

“(F)mere Gov. Paul LePage rejected Statoil’s giant offshore wind proposal, but gave the green light to a more modest floating wind turbine R&D project involving the University of Maine’s 1/8 scale VolturnUS floating wind turbine prototype, led by Maine Aqua “Ventus” CzystaTechnica recorded.

“A generous grant from the U.S. Department of Energy sweetened the situation, and now it looks like all that hard work will soon pay off,” we added.

In response to the platform challenge, VolturnUS is implementing concrete to help reduce costs. “The University of Maine’s patented VolturnUS system is a revolutionary floating concrete hull technology that enables the use of offshore wind energy and can significantly reduce the cost of offshore wind energy,” the school explains.

“VolturnUS can support wind turbines at depths of 45 meters or more,” the school also notes.

Local sourcing is key

Concrete is not the first material that comes to mind when it comes to flotation. However, the school’s Center for Advanced Structures and Composites at the University of Maine explains that the hull design was “inspired and built after the model of an inverted bridge” to solve this problem.

CzystaTechnica we caught up with the project last fall when we observed that the University of Maine project was looking at local sourcing as an additional cost-cutting strategy.

“ASCC notes that the new hull uses standard prefabricated bridge construction techniques that can be used virtually anywhere in the world. Unlike steel structures, materials can be sourced locally and the developer can use local labor,” we noted.

Concrete also avoids the risk of corrosion that plagues steel components, which can help reduce maintenance costs over the life of the structure. “Another advantage is the greater weight of the concrete structure, which acts as a cushion against the movement of the waves,” we also noted.

Next steps for Maine’s offshore wind industry

Don’t get excited about Maine just yet. In addition to the technological challenges, Maine Gov. Janet Mills faces criticism of her administration’s selection of undeveloped land on Sears Island for development as an offshore services hub and port facility.

Nevertheless, Governor Mills and other policymakers have no intention of putting another Paul LePage on the state’s offshore wind stakeholders. Quite the opposite. In addition to access to zero-emission electricity in an era of climate change, state policymakers see offshore wind as a major new industry creating jobs in Maine, including academic and research positions.

Last year, the state of Maine released a detailed roadmap for the state’s floating wind industry to achieve its goal of 3,000 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040.

The action plan includes, among other things, innovative marine technology developed at the University of Maine. In addition to VolturnUS’ concrete hull, Maine’s offshore wind roadmap lists a floating LIDAR system called “DeepCLi-DAR” developed to assess wind resources. The roadmap also describes new synthetic mooring lines with reduced impact and “the largest polymer 3D printer that can be used to produce composite components and tools.”

Since last year, things have been moving at a rapid pace towards the launch of a full-scale, 11-megawatt demonstration turbine at sea under New England Aqua Ventus. Initially, NEAV was a joint venture between the University of Maine, RWE Renewables and Mitsubishi Diamond Offshore Wind. RWE contacted us CzystaTechnica with an update last fall to let us know that the company was selling its stake in NEAV to Diamond Offshore Wind along with its stake in Maine Research Array.

“The company remains optimistic about future commercial opportunities, including in the Gulf of Maine, to deliver large-scale floating offshore wind to New England,” he told RWE CzystaTechnica.

As for Maine, the state is committed to connecting its floating turbine to the grid sooner than any other state in the U.S., so stay tuned for more information on this topic.

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Photo (screenshot): Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap, February 2023