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Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development for the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area

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Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development for the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area PREPARED FOR: Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development for the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area October 16, 2015 CLASSIFICATION CLIENT’S DISCRETION 463 NEW KARNER RD. | ALBANY, NY 12205 |www.awstruepower.com |[email protected] M etocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development i DISCLAIMER Acceptance of this document by the client is on the basis that AWS Truepower is not in any way to be held responsible for the application or use made of the findings and that such responsibility remains with the client. KEY TO DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL For recipients only CONFIDENTIAL May be shared within client’s organization AWS TRUEPOWER ONLY Not to be distributed outside AWS Truepower CLIENT’S DISCRETION Distribution at the client’s discretion FOR PUBLIC RELEASE No restriction DOCUMENT AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS Matthew V. Filippelli Mike Markus Matt Eberhard Bruce H. Bailey Lesley Dubois AWS TRUEPOWER LLC 463 New Karner Road Albany, New York 12205 www.awstruepower.com Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2 2. SOURCES OF METOCEAN DATA 5 3. METOCEAN DATA NEEDS FOR OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT 13 4. METOCEAN DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS GAPS 33 5. STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 61 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 70 APPENDIX: METOCEAN DATA INVENTORY 73 Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development Page 1 of 98 Executive Summary The objective of this report is to provide the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) with an assessment of information sources regarding the meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) conditions within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) designated Massachusetts Wind Energy Area (MAWEA) and the Rhode Island/Massachusetts (RI/MA) Wind Energy Area, collectively, the WEAs. In addition, recommendations are given for new, high-value metocean data collection activities that would address significant knowledge gaps within these areas. The report: Provides a high-level inventory of current and historical metocean data collection activities and publicly- available data products in and around the WEAs; Identifies informational gaps and the most critical metocean data needs to support offshore wind energy applications within the WEAs; Evaluates the attributes and costs of several metocean data collection scenarios to address identified data needs, including fixed-bottom meteorological towers and floating profiling lidar systems; and Identifies key stakeholders and potential partnership opportunities that can accelerate the development and implementation of a metocean data collection and analysis program. The goals of this study are to reduce project development risks and accelerate offshore wind energy development timeframes through improved documentation of WEA metocean conditions. In turn, technology and performance risk for project developers should be reduced through informed plant design specific to WEA conditions. Among several measurement scenarios evaluated by this study, it is recommended that the MassCEC consider pursuit of one or more of the three most cost-effective ones: A floating profiling lidar system capable of measuring winds at multiple locations and multiple levels up to and beyond wind turbine hub height, plus other metocean parameters such as water and air temperatures, waves, and currents. This technology is on the verge of being accepted by developers, turbine manufacturers, and the financial community for providing high quality, credible, and “bankable” wind data comparable to that provided by a widely-accepted but costly tall meteorological tower. A low-profile weather buoy to measure ocean and near-surface wind conditions. While not sufficient for a standalone assessment of metocean conditions for all wind plant design requirements, a buoy can easily provide essential on-site data at the lowest cost. The enhancement of metocean measurements, such as the addition of a fixed profiling lidar, at the existing Buzzards Bay C-MAN station and/or the Woods Hole Air-Sea Interaction Tower. This would bolster the value of these facilities as regional references in support of future metocean investigations in the WEAs, as well as test facilities for validating the floating lidar technology. It is also recommended that high-resolution modeling and mapping studies be conducted to characterize key metocean parameters instrumental for offshore wind energy planning across the entire WEAs. They should include atmospheric, ocean and coupled wind-wave design inputs as defined by relevant international standards. Several potential collaboration partners with common interests are identified. They include the WEA leaseholders, regional universities, members of the Clean Energy States Alliance, the US Department of Energy, investor-owned utilities, and ISO New England. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development Page 2 of 98 1. INTRODUCTION Meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) data are integral to defining the external design and operating conditions and the expected energy yield of offshore wind projects in locales where they may be sited. These conditions—which are dominated by winds, waves, and currents—encompass the atmospheric and water column, as well as the sea bed, at the heights and depths relevant to wind turbines, towers, foundations, and balance of plant components. Knowledge of these conditions enables the design of appropriate structures and components to withstand the loading factors expected over a project’s lifetime. Human safety, vessel navigation, and project construction and maintenance activities are equally tied to the metocean environment. Project financing and economic viability are also strongly affected by the definition of long-term wind resource characteristics and operating conditions informed by onsite and regional metocean conditions. 1.1 The Need for and Value of Metocean Data The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has defined large commercial offshore wind energy areas (WEAs) in federal waters off the Massachusetts coast (Figure 1.1). Three of these areas have been awarded leases by BOEM after competitive bidding processes. These lease areas represent several gigawatts of new wind generation capacity potential for Massachusetts. While some relatively high quality metocean observations have been collected in the coastal waters of Massachusetts, they are not located within the WEAs and therefore do not explicitly represent area-specific metocean conditions. While regional data sources are useful in defining general environmental conditions and offshore wind development siting opportunities, these sources alone cannot provide the spatial and temporal detail and accuracy required to develop and finance actual projects. Project development requires a comprehensive on-site assessment of anticipated wind, wave and other metocean conditions (i.e., the environmental design envelope) that a wind project will experience over its lifetime of at least 25 years. The on-site assessment guides subsequent project design, engineering, and technology selection activities while also enabling accurate energy production projections and financial planning. The opportunity exists to bridge this gap through the pursuit of new metocean measurements and assessment activities tailored to the Massachusetts WEAs and their future development. This report is designed to begin addressing this opportunity. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development Page 3 of 98 1 Figure 1.1: Offshore Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas 1.2 Study Objectives and Benefits The objective of this report is to provide the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) with an assessment of current knowledge about the metocean conditions within BOEM’s designated Massachusetts wind energy area (MAWEA) and the Rhode Island/Massachusetts (RI/MA) WEA (collectively, the WEAs) and with recommendations for new metocean data collection activities to address significant knowledge gaps. The scope of this report does not include the Cape Wind Energy Project area on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. The report addresses four topic areas to achieve the following: • Inventory and assess current and historical metocean data collection activities and publicly- available data products in and around the WEAs; • Identify metocean informational gaps and the most critical data needs for the WEAs; • Evaluate the costs and benefits of industry-accepted metocean data collection strategies to address identified data needs, including fixed-bottom meteorological towers and floating 1 http://www.boem.gov Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Metocean Data Needs Assessment and Data Collection Strategy Development Page 4 of 98 profiling lidar devices. • Identify key stakeholders and potential partnership opportunities that can accelerate the development and implementation of a metocean data collection and analysis program. The goals of this study are to reduce project development risks and accelerate offshore wind energy development timeframes through improved documentation of WEA metocean conditions. Through better awareness of local environment conditions and lessons learned from similar activities carried out by other offshore
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