The Windfloat And Opportunities For West Coast Offshore Wind

Abstract

Principle Power is the owner of an innovative floating offshore wind foundation, called the WindFloat, which enables access to the strong wind resources in deep water far from shore. Since 2011, the company has operated a 2 MW unit off the coast of Portugal that has successfully demonstrated the technical and power production performance of the system. Now, under a financial assistance award from the US Department of Energy, Principle Power is developing a commercial demonstration off the coast of Oregon, which would be the world's first floating offshore wind array. This project will feature up to five WindFloats with large capacity offshore wind turbines (up to 40MW), and is slated for operation beginning as soon as 2017. This presentation will provide an overview of the WindFloat technology, display some of its performance data, and also describe the development steps that are being taken for the Oregon project. Details will include engineering requirements, permitting pathways and strategies for project finance.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90215 © 2015 Pacific Section AAPG Convention, Oxnard, California, May 3-6, 2015