Archinect - News

Chicago could become site of the Great Lakes' first offshore wind farm

2022-09-10T09:00:00-04:00

If state Rep. Marcus Evans has his way, Chicago will enter the race to build the first offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes. Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Evans introduced the bill, the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act, in January. The legislation would establish a path toward creating the offshore wind farm by allowing the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The proposal promises to create over 1,200 jobs, primarily occupied by underrepresented populations, an aim bolstered by its potential location near Black and Latino communities. The bill has since been referred to a House committee.

Illinois will face competition from Ohio and New York state in its quest to be the first home of an offshore wind farm via the Great Lakes as the two states are developing plans to respectively establish farms in Lake Erie.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the initiative has garnered support from local community groups, however, there remain reservations due to concerns over whether the promise to reserve jobs created from the...

Largest offshore wind farm on the West Coast proposed

2022-04-18T17:10:00-04:00

A company is proposing to build what could be the West Coast’s biggest floating offshore wind farm, suggesting the expansion of a technology that has yet to find footing in the U.S. [...] The proposal mirrors an earlier request made by Trident Winds in California several years ago, which jump-started a broader competition among deep-pocketed developers for the rights to generate offshore wind power there.

The project is called Olympic Wind and is the product of Washington-based offshore wind developer Trident Winds. The proposal aims to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity that could power approximately 800,000 homes. The wind farm would be located 43 miles off the coast of Grays Harbor County, Washington, potentially making it the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the state.

If realized, Olympic Wind would help Washington reach the requirement that its utilities get at least 80 percent of their electricity from carbon-free resources by 2030, and 100 percent in 2045. It could also contribute to the Biden Administration’s goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is reviewing the plan and will work with Indigenous tribes, the state of Washington, and others on next steps.

Energywire notes that the project is likely to face pushback from various fronts, including the local ...

South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to be converted into one of the country's largest offshore wind port facilities

2022-03-07T13:46:00-05:00

Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced an agreement that will transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) into one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the country. This move will help establish New York as a leader in offshore wind and meet its climate goals of 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.

The deal, which was formed in collaboration between the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Equinor, its partner bp, and Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT), will upgrade and build out the site as an operations and maintenance base. The terminal will become a power interconnection site for the Empire Wind 1 project, an initiative that will create an offshore wind farm across an 80,000-acre stretch of water 20 miles south of Long Island. Heavy lift platforms will be built on the 39th Street Pier for wind turbine staging and installation for Equinor and other developers. The port will also serve as a hub for the Equinor ...

New York City and State are elevating offshore wind farm investments

2021-10-15T12:39:00-04:00

Late last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced a 15-year, $191 million plan to make New York City a leader in the offshore wind industry.

Called the Offshore Wind Vision (OSW) plan, it ensures the city meets its climate goals of 100-percent clean electricity by 2040 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The investment aims to create over 13,000 jobs and generate $1.3 billion in average annual investment; ensure 40% of job and investment benefits are directed toward women, minorities, and environmental justice communities; and reduce 34.5 million tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from roads for 15 years, as noted in New York City’s press release.

The OSW plan is focused on three core areas: sites and infrastructure, ensuring the development of “best-in-class” infrastructure that will support the construction and operation of offshore wind farms; business and workforce, prepari...

Norwegian company developing 1,000-foot-tall offshore wind turbine farms that could power 80,000 homes each

2021-08-23T10:37:00-04:00

A Norwegian company is developing a new technology for floating, offshore wind turbine farms. Unlike traditional wind farms, these are organized in stacked, square grids, standing nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

The grids would stand at 1,000 feet tall, composed of multiple smaller turbines in a staggered formation atop a floating platform anchored to the ocean floor. Founded in 2017, Wind Catching Systems, in collaboration with Aibel AS as the main contractor and holding companies Ferd AS and North Energy ASA, aims to commercialize this wind catching technology.

The company claims that its grids will increase efficiency, reduce land use by 80%, and reduce production costs, allowing the system to be immediately competitive with other traditional grid prices. In addition, the team states that one wind catching unit will be able to generate five times the annual energy output of the world’s largest single turbines and could produce enough electricity for 80,000 European househol...

USA’s largest offshore wind farm gains final approval, while world’s largest is announced by South Korea

2021-05-12T11:04:00-04:00

The United States has given final approval for what will be the largest offshore wind power project in the country’s history. The “Vineyard Wind” project will see as much as 84 wind turbines built 12 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. When completed, the project is expected to provide renewable energy for 400,000 homes and businesses, and supply over 2% of the energy needed to meet the country’s goal of generating 30 gigawatts from offshore wind by 2030.

The 800-megawatt project will be only the third offshore wind project to be built by the United States, after the 30-megawatt project at Block Island Wind, and a minor test project off the coast of Virginia. The USA’s lack of experience in offshore wind construction means there is currently a shortfall in infrastructure to produce turbines and blades, and the transport infrastructure needed to relocate them to the offshore sites. The Vineyard Wind project could serve as a catalyst for the development of this infrastructure and bo...

The development of high capacity batteries is picking up steam

2020-03-05T14:10:00-05:00

manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries is scaling up rapidly to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and large systems installed in power grids or at solar farms. As prices for lithium-ion batteries drop — they fell by half from 2016 to 2019, according to BloombergNEF — banks are taking another look.

The Los Angeles Times takes a look at the growing viability for utility-scale battery operations.

One stumbling block for municipalities and building operators alike has been finding affordable battery storage options to keep sustainably generated energy flowing when the sun isn't shining and the wind doesn't blow. A key problem in the widespread deployment of these energy storing units is finance: The investment required to bring these units online is viewed as a risk by banks and other lenders.

Increasingly, according to the report, however, banks and other financial institutions are moving to embrace the financial promise of boosting the development and deployment of these technologies, a trend that will surely help decarbonize the building sector.

Denmark rolls out ambitious plans for 10 GW energy islands to meet climate goals

2019-12-13T14:05:00-05:00

Denmark is developing plans to build “energy islands” – areas of reclaimed land that would host vast wind farms able to generate up to 10GW of electricity, 8.8GW more than the largest offshore wind farm now in existence. The cost of the project or projects has been put at between $20bn and $45bn, most of which is expected to come from the private sector, with the government funding research and development.

With 41% of its national energy mix already generated by wind turbines, Denmark leads the field in Europe in terms of percentage. A recently passed National Climate Act signals further commitment to set bold and legally binding emission reduction goals.

Scotland's wind energy production capabilities surge

2019-10-09T15:00:00-04:00

Scotland will soon be meeting the equivalent of 100% of its electricity needs from clean energy sources. That’s the prediction made in a new report published by member organisation Scottish Renewables, which suggests renewable energy is providing signficant benefits to almost every aspect of the nation’s economy and is supporting major growth in terms of innovation, jobs, communities, climate progress and the rural economy.

The United Kingdom's green energy revolution is continuing apace following record-setting sustainable energy generation initiatives that have nearly eliminated the use of coal-fired energy in the country.

According to the Scottish government, Scotland's recent move to double-down on wind generation has produced enough electricity to power over 1.8 million homes.

India to decarbonize national railway network by 2030

2019-08-29T19:30:00-04:00

The government has decided to move towards achieving 100-percent electrification of railways, as part of efforts to curb carbon footprints, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. The railways minister also said he has a mission that in next 10 years, Indian Railways will be running on renewable energy.

Announcing the plan, India's Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "We will be the world's first large railway...nearly [75,000 miles] of track, which will be 100-percent electrified. Imagine how much carbon we will reduce from the entire atmosphere."

We are aiming to make Indian Railways world's first 100% green railways.

We are setting up solar panels on unused land of railways. This will save land from encroachment, and the energy generated will be fed into the power grid. pic.twitter.com/GzkpNpvBTu
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 26, 2019

Are underground salt caves the next innovation in renewable energy generation?

2019-08-12T08:00:00-04:00

Compressed air energy storage has been used for decades, but only at two facilities in Germany and Alabama, built before solar and wind started creating challenges for power grid operators. “This is a pretty simple concept,” said Bobby Bailie, director of business development for energy storage at the German industrial firm Siemens. “You’re pushing air into a cavern, storing that energy. And at times when you need it, you pull it back out.”

Can a giant underground salt cave in the Utah desert hold a potential answer to Los Angeles’s growing sustainable energy needs?

The Los Angeles Times digs into a new-old approach for storing energy in compressed air deposits deep underground. The compressed air, generated with the help of solar or wind energy, is held deep below the surface of the earth until needed, creating a giant, high-pressure battery.

When the energy is required, say on a cloudy day when solar generation might dip, the compressed air is used to turn a second set of turbines that recaptures the air’s energy, thus converting the air into electricity.

Renewable energy production overtakes coal nationwide

2019-06-26T11:33:00-04:00

America's coal industry has already been left in the dust by natural gas. Now it's under immense pressure from the renewable energy boom. The renewable energy sector had slightly more installed capacity than coal in April, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report.

Surging renewable energy production capabilities have finally overtopped coal-fired power production in the United States in recent months, a historic first. The milestone is the latest development in a decade-long slide for coal-fired energy production, which peaked in 2008.

CNN reports that coal consumption has fallen 39% since then, while energy generated from solar, wind, and other renewable sources has climbed ever higher. Energy production capabilities from renewable sources now slightly exceed those of coal, a discrepancy that is expected to continue to climb. No new coal-fired power plants were put online last year, for example, while renewable energy potentials soared during the same period. Despite the shift, renewable energy production is not expected to overtake coal-generated power production on an annual basis for a few years.

The writing is on the wall, though. Jeff McDermott, a managing partner at clean energy investment bank Greentech Capital Advisors, told CNN, "C...

Gas-fired power plants are becoming obsolete

2019-06-24T13:28:00-04:00

General Electric Co said on Friday it plans to demolish a large power plant it owns in California this year after only one-third of its useful life because the plant is no longer economically viable in a state where wind and solar supply a growing share of inexpensive electricity.

GE's Inland Empire Energy Center, a 750-megawatt natural gas-fueled plant located in Riverside County, California, built in 2009 is shutting down 20 years early.

The culprit? Affordable wind and solar energy, which are surging in California, and outdated technology.

On most days, California generates roughly 50% of its energy from renewable sources, with new records set every few weeks. See here for an up-to-the-minute breakdown of where California's energy comes from.

The trend is a long-term one, as California has pledged to eliminate fossil fuels in its energy supply by 2045, and recently met its 2020 emissions and renewable energy goals several years early. That's bad news for natural gas- and coal-fired power plants.

A moment-in-time breakdown of California's energy sources from Monday, June 24, 2019. Image courtesy of California's Independent System Operator.

A representative from GE told Reuters, “We have made the decision to shut down operation of the Inland Empire Power P...

After a decade, LEGO will re-release their Vestas Wind Turbine in November

2018-09-27T17:01:00-04:00

On Wednesday during NYC Climate Week, Lego announced they’d be re-releasing the LEGO Creator Expert Vestas Wind Turbine, developed in collaboration with wind company Vestas...This set stands 3 feet tall and contains 826 pieces, including one piece—a spruce tree—that is the first of Lego’s sustainable plant-based plastic pieces. The set also features adjustable and motorized turbine blades and a movable nacelle with aircraft warning lights.

The world's largest offshore wind farm is now operational in the Irish Sea

2018-09-06T15:43:00-04:00

The world’s biggest offshore windfarm has officially opened in the Irish Sea, amid warnings that Brexit could increase costs for future projects. Walney Extension, off the Cumbrian coast, spans an area the size of 20,000 football pitches and has a capacity of 659 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of 590,000 homes. The project is a sign of how dramatically wind technology has progressed in the past five years since the previous biggest, the London Array, was finished.

The Walney Extension is made up of 87 turbines and has a total capacity of 659 MW, enough to power almost 600,000 homes in the UK. This makes it now the largest operational offshore wind farm, however with wind farm supersizing along the British coastline it may not hold the record for long.

A 714MW is set to be up and running in 2020, while Ørsted itself is planning 1,200MW and 1,800MW farms off the Yorkshire coast. Currently, offshore wind farms provide nearly a tenth of the UK's electricity.

Extensive windfarm island plans in the North Sea may be a design solution

2018-01-03T16:04:00-05:00

Britain’s homes could be lit and powered by windfarms surrounding an artificial island deep out in the North Sea, under advanced plans by a Dutch energy network. The radical proposal envisages an island being built to act as a hub for vast offshore windfarms that would eclipse today’s facilities in scale. Dogger Bank, 125km (78 miles) off the East Yorkshire coast, has been identified as a potentially windy and shallow site.

Plans by TenneT, the Dutch power grid, aim to build a power hub potentially at Dogger Bank, a site in the North Sea, at a scale that far surpasses current offshore sites. A long-distance cable would send energy to the UK and Netherlands, with other countries possibly added later. Early studies were released stating this solution could be far cheaper than conventional windfarms.

The North Sea windfarm plans are a potential solution to the industry’s challenge of continuing to make offshore wind cheaper. As these sites are pushed further and further off the coast the expense grows, while closer and cheaper areas near land fill up.

Check out the promo video by TenneT:

DFA proposes 712-foot observation tower to clean Central Park reservoir

2017-09-14T15:36:00-04:00

Creative studio DFA is proposing a 712-foot public observation tower in Central Park that would double as a sustainable filtration system to clean the hazardous Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and turn it into a non-toxic, useable freshwater pond. Though meant to be temporary, the prefabricated tower would be the world’s tallest timber structure if completed, featuring a 56-foot-wide viewing platform and a glass oculus that showcases the tower’s functional elements.

Via DFA

A New Use for the Eiffel Tower

2015-02-25T18:07:00-05:00

While hard to imagine today, Paris’s most iconic monument was largely reviled when it was first built for the 1889 World’s Fair. On February 14, 1887, as construction was just beginning, a group of some of most notable Parisian artists, writers, architects and intellectuals – including Charles Garnier, Émile Zola, Alexandre Dumas fils, and Guy de Maupassant – launched a petition against the Eiffel Tower. "We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower,” their statement read.

Today, concerns over the use-value of the most-visited paid monument in the world seem comical. But throughout its history, the question of utility has been central to conversations about the Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed the 906 ft. tall structure, defensively touted it’s scientific ...