OHIO – 1ST IN OFFSHORE WIND?

Great Lakes May Beat Atlantic To Offshore Wind
Jeff St. Clair, June 21 (National Public Radio)

"States along the Atlantic Coast are racing to be first in the country to put wind turbines offshore. But a group in Ohio says the first offshore wind farm in America isn't likely to be in the Atlantic but in the fresh waters of Lake Erie about 7 miles off the Cleveland coast…[It may] become a major industry in Ohio. But today, the prospect of dozens of massive wind turbines sprouting from the lake floor seems remote…

"…[Early ice and wind data] demonstrate the lake's energy potential…Promoters of clean wind say, in the next decade, hundreds of turbines in Lake Erie could produce 1,000 megawatts of power — enough for 200,000 homes…The plan is to start next year with a five-turbine pilot project within sight of downtown Cleveland. Its $100 million cost would be raised from investors and loans...[If it proceeds, freshwater wind would win the nation's offshore wind race…"

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"But first engineers need to solve a problem that most ocean wind farms don't have — massive floes of shifting ice each winter…Data from the ice sensor recovered from the lake bottom will help engineers…design foundations that can withstand those icy pressures…Each turbine will cost more than $20 million — so much money that it could take decades to recoup the investment…[But] the high costs of the pilot project will be outweighed by the long-term benefits…

"Not everyone believes it's worth it…Cleveland industrialist Dan Moore has stakes in a dozen businesses, including one that builds turbine blades. But he says the numbers…[for Great Lakes wind] don't add up…Moore thinks high-priced wind energy won't work in a region that needs electricity to power heavy industry…"

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"Some other Great Lakes players are backing away from offshore wind turbine development because of environmental concerns. In Michigan, lawmakers and residents are concerned about disturbing the lake's natural beauty. Meanwhile in Canada, all of Ontario's offshore power projects have been put on hold…

"But backers in Ohio say they've looked at the realities, and they're still optimistic. Lorry Wagner, head of the nonprofit Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., says he understands the challenges…The world's first freshwater wind farm went on line last year in Lake Vanern, Sweden. Engineers in Cleveland are hoping to benefit from lessons learned there. And they say the project's engineering problems are actually the easiest to solve — it's the political and economic challenges that are likely to remain the thorniest."