FLOATING WIND GETS GO IN OREGON

Oregon could get West Coast's first wind energy farm: 5 floating offshore turbines

Gosia Wozniacka, February 5, 2014 (AP via Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

"…[T]he West Coast's first offshore wind energy farm…[a 30-megawatt pilot project made up of] five floating turbines off Oregon's Coos Bay…will be developed by Seattle-based Principle Power using floating wind turbine technology that has not been deployed in U.S. waters but is in use or under development in Europe and Asia…The Oregon facility would be 15 miles from shore, in about 1,400 feet of water. The turbines would be connected by electrical [lines that]…transmit electricity to the mainland…Several offshore projects are in the works on the Atlantic coast…[but they] are anchored to the seabed…[T]he West Coast has not yet seen offshore wind projects because the…ocean gets deeper more quickly…so turbine towers cannot be planted directly into the seabed…Fishermen on the southern Oregon coast have agreed to support the project…Proponents say better wind speeds are available at sea than on land, creating more electricity than other projects…The industry has grown chiefly in Europe, where several dozen offshore wind farms operate. China [and Japan are] also developing projects…” click here for more

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