LEEDCo, perpetually in the beginning stages of an offshore wind turbine program in Lake Erie, will send a crew onto the water this week to conduct soil samples of the earth down below. The tests should determine whether an area seven miles northwest of downtown Cleveland is suitable for turbine construction.
This next step comes after a 2014 grant award of $2.8 million, getting the company closer to its goal of (at least) six wind turbines in Lake Erie.
“This is an important milestone and demonstrates tangible progress towards the first offshore wind project in the Great Lakes, and in creating a new industry on the shores of Lake Erie to provide clean energy for our environment and jobs for our economy,” Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo, said.
LEEDCo is pursuing structural elements similar to wind farms in Europe, where the technology is more widely supported by the public. In the U.S., where 11 projects are in the works, public opposition and unexpectedly high cost estimates have presented obstacles.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2015.
How much will the wind turbines cost to install?
How much will the wind turbines cost to operate and maintain (O&M) per year?
How much real useful electricity will the wind turbines produce per year?
Over the life of the project, will the real value of the electricity produced offset the costs for installation and O&M?
So there are a lot of questions regarding this, obviously, but at least looking at the rough draft I’m on board!
Adam,
I was not really asking questions to which I didn’t already know the answers:
The wind turbines cost a great deal to install, and they will cost a great deal to operate & maintain every year. On the other hand, the wind turbines will produce very little real useful electricity and, over the life of the project, they will not even come close to providing enough electricity at real market value to offset their costs. (can’t seem to post links to the detailed analysis in this comment forum)
The real question is, since energy generation is obviously NOT the reason that use of taxpayer money is proposed to support this wind turbine project, what is the reason??