|
Welcome to Scandia Wind Offshore
Scandia
Wind Offshore (SWO) is being formed in response to the compelling
attributes of West Michigan for offshore wind farm development. SWO is
conducting a feasibility study in the waters outside of Mason and
Oceana counties for a 1,000 Megawatt (MW) wind farm, the Aegir Project,
and plans to leverage the many years of offshore wind farm development
experience of its Norwegian partner, Havgul Clean Energy. Technical
analysis is underway as well as an information exchange with the local
community, local government officials, and the State of Michigan.
The
Aegir Project is designed for harvesting the outstanding wind resource
on Lake Michigan to produce clean, renewable energy while addressing
the current need for job creation in Michigan.
Why Lake Michigan?
Mason
and Oceana counties present a unique set of circumstances in terms of
supporting the case for large-scale offshore wind farm development:
- Grid access:
the Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant is located near the northern
edge of the proposed wind farm. The Aegir Project could provide
off-peak power to the plant—fill its reservoir via renewable energy
generation—while the plant could continue to generate and sell its
power during peak consumption hours. Aegir could, in effect, recharge
this giant “battery” and combine two renewable energy resources to
deliver baseload energy. Also, the 345 kV transmission lines on shore
provide a substantial backbone to move power to major load centers.
- Wind Resource:
the area is well positioned to harness the strong prevailing
South/Southwest winds, wind regimes that are normally registered only
in states such as North Dakota and Texas. Wind speeds range from 8-9
meters per second (approximately 20 mph) at a height of 100 meters – an
excellent, clean fuel resource to be farmed for substantial power
production.
- Proximity to major load centers:
the efficiencies associated with locating near two major load centers
(areas of significant energy consumption, i.e., Detroit and Chicago)
materially contribute to the economic viability of a wind farm such as
the Aegir Project. Producing wind power for delivery to areas of
consumption near the generation source results in lower energy prices.
- Water depths in Lake Michigan outside of Mason and Oceana Counties:
technology advances in wind turbine foundations allow for wind turbine
siting in water depths up to 80 meters. Preliminary indications suggest
that the area under review can support a 1,000 megawatt wind farm.
Initial
technical studies are encouraging. A wind farm such as the Aegir
Project, on a scale of 1,000 megawatts in size, could contribute to
positioning Michigan as a leader in wind energy. We believe there is a
“first mover” advantage in the Great Lakes – an opportunity for
Michigan to become an industrial hub for the entire region.
We
seek to gain local support and a deeper understanding of the State of
Michigan’s processes regarding offshore wind farm development
|
