Eco Factor: Offshore wind farm uses direct-drive wind turbines.
There is no denying that offshore wind power in the Great Lakes holds great potential, so to drive further growth of the industry GE and the non-profit Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation have come together. The duo has recently announced at the American Wind Energy Association’s annual WINDPOWER Conference in Dallas that they will jointly develop a wind farm off the shores of Ohio near Cleveland. The project is said to be the first fresh water offshore wind farm in the US.
Under the project, GE will provide and maintain the direct-drive wind turbines for the 20-megawatt offshore wind farm. The success of the project lies in the hands of GE’s next generation wind turbine, a 4-megawatt machine designed specifically for offshore deployment.
The wind turbine incorporates GE’s innovative advanced loads controls and aeroelastically tailored blade technology. The 20-megawatt project that is expected to complete by 2012 will be followed by subsequent projects with a long-term goal of 1,000 megawatts in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie by 2020.
Via: Treehugger
