GE (NYSE: GE) and Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) of Northern Ohio announced a long-term partnership beginning with the development of the first fresh water offshore wind farm in the US and involving a range of other initiatives.
Under the new partnership GE will provide direct-drive wind turbines to LEEDCo’s 20-megawatts (MW) offshore wind project in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. GE will also provide maintenance services.
The LEEDCo-GE partnership builds on the momentum of a four-year effort by The Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force and other partners in Ohio to establish an offshore wind industry on Lake Erie, leveraging the region’s strong manufacturing base.
The initial 20-MW array is targeted for completion in late 2012 and will be located near Cleveland, Ohio. This would be followed by subsequent projects with a long-term goal of 1,000 MW in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie by 2020.
At the core of the Lake Erie Project is GE’s next generation wind turbine, a 4-MW machine designed specifically for offshore deployment. As the largest wind turbine in GE’s fleet, it will incorporate direct-drive technology gained through GE’s acquisition of ScanWind. The turbine will feature advanced loads controls and aeroelastically tailored blade technology.
In addition to collaborating on the initial 20-megawatt project, GE and LEEDCo will create a strategic plan to identify opportunities for cost reduction to make offshore wind energy in the Great Lakes economically viable. GE and LEEDCo will also work jointly on advocacy and public policy issues to increase support for offshore wind energy, and accelerate the growth of America’s offshore wind industry.
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