Ocean Special Area Management Plan Chapter 8: Renewable Energy and Other Offshore Development Table of Contents 800 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 8 810 Renewable Energy Overview............................................................................................ 10 810.1 Increasing Energy Demands and Global Climate Change ............................. 10 810.2 Renewable Energy Statutes, Initiatives and Standards in Rhode Island ..... 14 810.3 Renewable Energy Sources in Rhode Island ................................................... 21 810.4 No Action Alternative ........................................................................................ 33 820 Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Energy ............................................................................... 34 820.1 Offshore Wind Energy Facilities ...................................................................... 35 820.2 Turbine and Foundation Technology .............................................................. 35 820.3 Transmission Cables and Substations .............................................................. 43 820.4 Stages of Development ....................................................................................... 45 820.5 Project Costs ....................................................................................................... 51 820.6 Federal and State Incentives.............................................................................. 52 830 Offshore Renewable Energy in the Ocean SAMP Area................................................. 57 830.1 Offshore Wind Resources................................................................................... 57 830.2 Siting Analysis-Technology Development Index ............................................. 59 830.3 Selection of Suitable Sites .................................................................................. 76 840 Potential Economic Effects of Offshore Renewable Energy in the Ocean SAMP Area 78 840.1 Port Development and Job Creation ................................................................ 78 840.2 Electricity Rates .................................................................................................. 80 840.3 Revenue Sharing ................................................................................................ 82 840.4 Non-Market Value ............................................................................................. 83 850 Potential Effects on Existing Uses and Resources in the Ocean SAMP Area ............. 84 850.1 Avoided Air Emissions ...................................................................................... 85 850.2 Coastal Processes & Physical Oceanography .................................................. 88 850.3 Benthic Ecology .................................................................................................. 91 850.4 Birds .................................................................................................................. 102 850.5 Marine Mammals ............................................................................................. 123 850.6 Sea Turtles ........................................................................................................ 143 850.7 Fisheries Resources and Habitat ................................................................... 147 850.8 Commercial and Recreational Fishing ........................................................... 160 850.9 Cultural and Historic Resources .................................................................... 165 850.10 Recreation and Tourism................................................................................. 168 Revision Adopted January 10, 2012 Ocean SAMP - Chapter 8 Page 1 of 258 Ocean Special Area Management Plan 850.11 Marine Transportation, Navigation and Infrastructure ............................ 170 850.12 Cumulative Impacts ....................................................................................... 174 860 Renewable Energy and Other Offshore Development Policies and Standards ........ 177 860.1 General Policies................................................................................................. 177 860.2 Regulatory Standards....................................................................................... 180 860.2.1 Overall Regulatory Standards.......................................................... 180 860.2.2 Areas of Particular Concern............................................................. 186 860.2.3 Prohibitions and Areas Designated for Preservation ..................... 197 860.2.4 Other Areas ........................................................................................ 199 860.2.5 Application Requirements ................................................................ 201 860.2.6 Design, Fabrication and Installation Standards ............................ 220 860.2.7 Pre-Construction Standards ............................................................ 224 860.2.8 Standards for Construction Activities ............................................ 226 860.2.9 Monitoring Requirements ................................................................ 229 870 Potential Areas for Offshore Renewable Energy Development in Federal Waters of the Ocean SAMP Area……………………………………………………………………………230 880 Literature Cited ..............................................................................................................237 Revision Adopted January 10, 2012 Ocean SAMP - Chapter 8 Page 2 of 258 Ocean Special Area Management Plan List of Figures Figure 8.1. Fuel sources used for electricity generation in New England and Rhode Island. ..............11 Figure 8.2. Energy sources supplying Rhode Island electricity demand from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008.................................................................................................................................................12 Figure 8.3. U.S. states with renewable energy standards......................................................................15 Figure 8.4. Renewable energy targets under the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Standard 2007- 2020.......................................................................................................................................................17 Figure 8.5. Contribution of new renewable energy generation used to meet the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Standard in 2007 and 2008 ....................................................................................19 Figure 8.6. Projection of the demand for new renewable energy needed to meet the renewable energy targets set by all New England states........................................................................................20 Figure 8.7. Average annual photovoltaic solar radiation in the United States. ....................................23 Figure 8.8. U.S. geothermal resource map at a depth of 6 km..............................................................24 Figure 8.9. Global average annual wave power potential (kW/m) .......................................................25 Figure 8.10. Map of maximum tidal current velocities of the Ocean SAMP area and surrounding waters. ...................................................................................................................................................27 Figure 8.11. National Renewable Energy Laboratory assessment of Rhode Island biomass resources ...............................................................................................................................................29 Figure 8.12. Map of wind power potential in Rhode Island .................................................................32 Figure 8.13. Components of an offshore wind facility .........................................................................35 Figure 8.14. Overview of offshore wind turbine terminology..............................................................36 Figure 8.15. Different support structure types for offshore wind turbines (a) monopile, (b) gravity base, (c) tripod, and (d) jacket ..............................................................................................................37 Figure 8.16. Floating wind turbine designs. .........................................................................................38 Figure 8.17. Power curve for a Siemens 3.6 MW offshore wind turbine.............................................41 Figure 8.18. Schematic of wind turbine sizes.......................................................................................42 Figure 8.19. Cross-section of an AC 115kV underwater transmission cable. ......................................44 Revision Adopted January 10, 2012 Ocean SAMP - Chapter 8 Page 3 of 258 Ocean Special Area Management Plan Figure 8.20. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) process for awarding leases for offshore renewable energy development. ..........................................48 Figure 8.21. Estimated capital costs of an offshore wind energy facility.............................................51 Figure 8.22. Average annual wind speeds at a height of 80 meters above sea level. ...........................58 Figure 8.23. Ocean SAMP area bathymetry. ........................................................................................61 Figure