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University of Maine's VolturnUS 1:8 was the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in the Americas.

The VolturnUS is a concrete structure designed by University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and deployed by DeepCwind Consortium in 2013. It floats in water, supporting a wind turbine.

History

On June 13, 2013, the University of Maine's VolturnUS 1:8 was energized and began delivering electricity through an undersea cable to the Central Maine Power electricity grid, making VolturnUS 1:8 the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in the Americas.[1]
The VolturnUS design utilizes a concrete semisubmersible floating hull and a composite materials tower designed to reduce both capital and Operation & Maintenance costs, and to allow local manufacturing. The VolturnUS technology is the culmination of more than a decade of collaborative research and development conducted by the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center-led DeepCwind Consortium.[1]

North America’s first floating grid-connected wind turbine was lowered into the Penobscot River in Maine on 31 May 2013 by the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and its partners.[2][3][needs update] The VolturnUS 1:8 was towed down the Penobscot River where it was deployed for 18 months in Castine, ME.

In June 2013, the University of Maine made history with its 20 kW Renewegy VP-20 wind turbine with a 9.6m rotor[4] named VolturnUS 1:8, a 65-foot-tall floating turbine prototype that is 1:8th the scale of a 6-megawatt (MW), 450-foot rotor diameter design.[5] VolturnUS 1:8 was the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine deployed in the Americas. The VolturnUS design utilizes a concrete semisubmersible floating hull and a composite materials tower[6][7] designed to reduce both capital and Operation & Maintenance costs, and to allow local manufacturing throughout the US and the World. The VolturnUS technology is the culmination of collaborative research and development conducted by the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium.[8]

During its deployment, it experienced numerous storm events representative of design environmental conditions prescribed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbines, 2013.[9][10][11][12] It was taken out of the water in November 2014.[4]

The patent-pending, VolturnUS floating concrete hull technology can support wind turbines in water depths of 45 meters or more, and has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of offshore wind. With 12 independent cost estimates from around the U.S. and the world, it has been found to significantly reduce costs compared to existing floating systems. The design has also received a complete third-party engineering review.[13]

Scaling up

In June 2016, the UMaine-led New England Aqua Ventus I project won top tier status from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Technology Demonstration Program for Offshore Wind. This means that the Aqua Ventus project is now automatically eligible for an additional $39.9 Million in construction funding from the DOE, as long as the project continues to meet its milestones. The developer asserts that the Aqua Ventus project will likely become the first commercial scale floating wind project in the Americas.[13]

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced in June 2016 that Maine’s New England Aqua Ventus I floating offshore wind demonstration project, designed by the DeepCwind Consortium, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration program.[14]

New England Aqua Ventus I will now be one of up to three leading projects that are each eligible for up to $39.9 million in additional funding over three years for the construction phase of the demonstration program.

References

  1. ^ a b Nation's first floating wind turbine launched, retrieved 2016-07-05
  2. ^ Danko, Pete. "First US Floating Wind Turbine Launches In Maine". EarthTechling. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Renewable energy: Wind power tests the waters". Nature News & Comment.
  4. ^ a b "DeepCwind Consortium - VolturnUS - Dyces Head Test Site". 4C Offshore. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. ^ "VolturnUS 1:8 windturbine launches in 2013". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  6. ^ proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1911731
  7. ^ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/we.1886/full
  8. ^ "DeepCwind Consortium | Advanced Structures & Composites Center | University of Maine". composites.umaine.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  9. ^ "VolturnUS 1:8". UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. University of Maine. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  10. ^ ANTHONY MICHAEL VISELLI, PE. HABIB JOSEPH DAGHER, PH.D, PE. ANDREW JOSEPH GOUPEE, PH.D. VOLTURNUS 1:8 - DESIGN AND TESTING OF THE FIRST GRID-CONNECTED OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE IN THE U.S.A.
  11. ^ "VolturnUS floating wind turbine celebrates one year of service". CompositesWorld. 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  12. ^ http://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/10/umaine-offshore-wind-project-poised-to-take-off/
  13. ^ a b "New England Aqua Ventus I Selected by the DOE for up to $39.9 Million in Additional Funding | Advanced Structures & Composites Center | University of Maine". composites.umaine.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  14. ^ "Maine Offshore Wind Project Moves to Top Tier of National Offshore Wind Demonstration Program". U.S. Senator Susan Collins. United States Senate. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
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