The Project
update 2/25/08
What is proposed?
Renewable Energy - 1000 MW and more - enough for all Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties and more, or for a city of 600,000 people. Eventually become the base for a Northwest Pacific Ocean renewable energy field producing power for the entire region.
Manufacturing - Build wind and wave machines and infrastructure for the project, and then build and export many more for offshore energy projects elsewhere around the world.
High Energy Tech - Study, invent and design the newest generations of offshore wind and wave machines and their associated software, electronics, materials, environmental features, etc. Establish a global Center of Excellence in offshore wind / wave technologies.
Sustainable Community Development - Invest revenues in the community, in health, education and infrastructure, and work with the community to create a common vision and shared benefits.
Environmental Protection and Enhancement - Existing offshore wind farms in Europe's coastal waters (with migrating birds, whales, crab and salmon) have no demonstrated environmental impact after several years of operation. Enhance local fisheries by designing wind turbine foundations as artificial reefs that provide new habitat and biodiversity. Provide compensation for demonstrable loss of income if fishing incomes are reduced.
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Phase 1: Demonstration.
This Phase will partly sponsored and funded by Federal and other grants for offshore alternative energy research and development. The demonstration is two offshore wind turbines with wave energy converters built into their foundations, generating 10 MW each, located in state waters about 2.8 miles offshore from the towns of Westport and Ocean Shores in about 70 feet of water. Power cables to shore are buried in the seabed and under the beach. The cables are large-capacity to support future offshore energy transmission. There are thus only two points of shore crossing. These two turbines will not have significant environmental impacts but they will initiate the regulatory and planning process for further development.
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Phase 2: Implementation.
Plan and develop two large offshore wind and wave "farms" further offshore, generating up to 1000 MW. These will be located from 5-10 miles offshore and usually invisible from the shore. The power from each farm is transmitted to the Phase 1 "anchor" wind/wave turbines and then to shore and the power grid. Manufacture the turbines and associated equipment at Grays Harbor and build up capacity to produce thousands of offshore wind turbines for deployment along the West Coast.
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Phase 3: Expansion.
Expand further offshore into deeper water, and eventually include floating wind/wave turbines whose energy is used to generate hydrogen on floating tanker ships. Compressed hydrogen will be brought to shore at the deepwater port in Grays Harbor and burned in new thermal power plants there, producing electricity and hot water. Produce enough energy for western Washington state.
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Phase 4: Globalization
Manufacture wind/wave machines for a global market. Supply developers in Oregon and California so they can produce power for the huge and high-price California energy market. Build capacity to supply projects around the world.
An application for a Preliminary Permit has been made by the Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company LLC to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for two 10 MW wind/wave turbines in shallow coastal waters 2.8 miles off of the Washington towns of Westport and Ocean Shores in Grays Harbor County.
Project Map as proposed for FERC permitting. This is Phase 1 and does NOT include wind turbine installation.
FERC regulates wave power (a type of hydropower) generation but not wind power generation. A FERC preliminary permit gives the permit holder the exclusive right to conduct studies on the site in order to prepare a commercial power project license. This license is generally issued only after all local and state permits are issued. Thus the FERC preliminary permit is just for studies, it does not allow any project to be installed. But it does give the project developer the exclusive right to develop the site and protect its investment in the studies and permit applications.
By attaching wave energy converters to the wind turbine foundation the FERC jurisdiction is invoked and one can apply for a permit for commercial energy generation. Jurisdiction for the wind turbine installation - done at a later time - is by the state if within 3 miles of shore; and by the USA Minerals Management Service (MMS), if more than 3 miles offshore. Currently MMS does not have an offshore alternative energy permitting procedure so it cannot issue even preliminary permits for commercial electricity production.
Unlike FERC, MMS is not "first come, first served" regarding site development rights. MMS opens offshore leases to competitive bids. Therefore a private company that invests large amounts to study a MMS-managed site and prove its worth can lose out if that information is used by others to make higher bids for the site.
The intention of the project is to develop in phases, first in FERC-regulated ocean space out to 3 miles, then in MMS-regulated ocean space. The state and local jurisdictions are involved from the beginning FERC phase. This enables the developer to establish local community partnerships and agreements and to have confidence that large investments in studies and permits etc. are protected.
Who is proposing the Project? The Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company LLC was formed specifically to initiate and promote the Project. The Company’s founder, Burton Hamner, is the General Contractor for the Tacoma Narrows Tidal Power Feasibility Study sponsored by the City of Tacoma, Washington. His first ocean energy development company, Hydrovolts Inc., leads a consortium of eight marine engineering, FERC licensing, resource economics and other firms, and three University of Washington professors, to evaluate all aspects of developing a commercial-scale renewable energy project using large submerged turbines in the Tacoma Narrows. The team is thus now experienced at integrating the many elements needed for project analysis and development.
Mr. Hamner has lived in Washington since 1983. He studied marine biology at Harvard, and obtained degrees in Business Administration and in Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. He worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District as a marine environmental coordinator and he wrote the Environmental Impact Statement for maintenance of the La Push harbor jetty and dredging project near Grays Harbor, thus gaining great familiarity with outer coast environment and coastal communities. He later became an Environmental Planner for the Washington Department of Ecology. Since 1994 he has been a consultant for the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the City of Seattle, the Grays Harbor Paper Company and others, promoting clean technology and sustainable business in developing countries and at home. In October 2006 he led a two-day Sustainable Business leadership summit in Grays Harbor, sponsored by the Grays Harbor Paper Company.
Mr. Hamner founded Hydrovolts in 2006 to bring his expertise and contacts together on behalf of organizations evaluating ocean energy projects. Besides the Tacoma Narrows study he is evaluating ocean energy potential for another Washington utility.
The Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company was founded to be an Independent Power Producer with its own financing, investors, directors and operations. The Company is now recruiting partners for investment in the Project. Several prominent companies and utilities have expressed interest already. The Company intends to partner with the US Department of Energy to develop the Project as a test site for new wind and wave technologies and for new strategies to protect coastlines by turning ocean energy into renewable power. The Company expects significant grant financing from state and federal agencies to support its development.
What will this look like?
The first two wave platforms and wind turbines will be about 2.8 miles offshore but still visible because of
their size (250 ft at the hub). The picture at right is similar to the
view we expect of the turbines from shore on a clear day.
The WAVE energy converters will be built into the foundations of the wind turbines and thus invisible from shore or boat.
Why is this happening now? The offshore wind and wave energy resource on the Washington coast has recently been identified as immense, with gigawatts of potential clean renewable power potential. The Electric Power Research Institute identified Grays Harbor as a leading site in North America for wave energy generation. And wind and wave renewable energy technology has advanced greatly in just the last few years. Recent national studies have greatly advanced the understanding of wave energy generation in particular. Thus the technology trends make this timely now, here. Within ten years the Project and the technology will have evolved so the Project can produce its full rated output and perhaps more.
There is also competition for good sites. Seven wave energy projects are already proposed on the Oregon coast. Utilities in Washington State must meet Renewable Portfolio Standards for renewable energy purchase and all good sites for wind and solar generation are already under intense scrutiny and development. By filing the application for a preliminary permit, the Company reserves its rights under FERC rules to evaluate the project for a year and then apply for a pilot project license to continue developing the site with stakeholders.
Federal funding for ocean energy R&D is about to materialize and the Department of Energy is looking for test sites for ocean energy technology, particularly wave and offshore wind. The Project will offer itself to the DOE as a national test center in 2008.
The Washington Legislature is now planning for its session beginning in January 2008. Several legislators say they will introduce bills to support ocean energy R&D and in particular test sites where devices can be installed and studied quickly. The Project intends to apply for such support.
What are the environmental concerns? The wind turbines, 2-3 miles out at sea, will be visible from shore, and this has caused protests in other projects. The turbines and wave converters will take up space in an area frequented by migrating gray whales (which are protected but not endangered) and occasionally by other kinds of whales. It is unknown whether the foundations and anchors will cause obstacle problems for whales. Solid foundations will presumably appear as massive rocks which whales avoid using their sonar sense.
The new turbine designs are demonstrated to not injure birds, which fly around the huge slow-spinning blades. There are no significant noise or pollution issues.
To mitigate for reduced fishing area available, the anchors for the wind turbines and wave converters will be designed as artificial reefs. With suitable surface structure (nooks and crannies) they will be highly productive hard habitat in an area that is only loose sand and thus limited in productivity. It is expected that fish density will increase significantly in the project area. The spacing of turbines and wave converters is sufficient for vessels up to 100 ft to easily navigate among them for line fishing.
Can this all be stopped? Yes, of course. Dozens of agencies and organizations must participate in the project development process and it must have significant majority support among stakeholders. The FERC preliminary permit simply grants the right to study the project before applying for a pilot project license. FERC licenses are conditional upon authorization by relevant authorities.
There is no need to stop anything at this time as nothing has been proposed except an idea. This is a good idea – generate renewable clean energy while also protecting the coastline and our towns from erosion and property damage. It can also enhance fisheries productivity. There are concerns to resolve such as what will whales do when they encounter a generator foundation or anchor, but this can only be determined by actually installing pilot test units and monitoring them for some time.
What’s in it for local communities? The benefits for local communities, in particular Ocean Shores and Westport, are • Generation of clean renewable energy from ocean waves and wind; • Protection of coastal communities and navigation by absorbing and converting damaging wave energy to renewable electricity; • Enhancement of local fisheries productivity by making wave and wind device foundations into artificial reefs; • Creation of local jobs and contribution to sustainable local economies – each wind turbine installed is expected to support two full time jobs, and two wave converters would support one job. The project proposes 90 wind turbines and 350 wave converters.
How big could this get? The offshore energy resource could ultimately provide power for much of Western Washington. The wind and wave energy resource is immense and continues off the shore at Grays Harbor far out to sea beyond the three-mile limit and FERC jurisdiction. The seabed is shallow enough for a variety of very large wind turbines and wave converters. They can share foundations and transmission cables. There is room, and energy resource, for literally thousands of turbines and wave converters, all of which be largely invisible from shore depending on their distance.
Floating wind turbines are now on the drawing board that can be moored in 300 feet of water or more. The coast off of Grays Harbor is relatively shallow for miles out - the 300ft depth contour is generally about 17 miles offshore for a distance of about 45 miles north-south. Turbines could be spaced in four one-mile-wide bands along the 45-mile at spacing of one turbine per mile. The turbines closest to shore would still be 13 miles out, nearly invisible despite their immense size. This spacing would allow 180 3MW turbines producing 540MW at peak. But that is only the beginning. The cables for the wind turbines are ideal for locating wave energy converters to feed their own energy in. If wave devices are included at 2 per mile along the necessary 250 miles of cable connecting the wind turbines, there could be 500 converters installed each making about 0.5MW, for a total of 250MW more peak power. Because the cables to tap into are already installed the cost of each wave converter is much cheaper than in projects currently proposed.
Another renewable energy innovation is using the wind turbine towers themselves as wave energy generators. The bases of the towers are huge and will be either massive sunken pilings or large floating structures. These can support wave converters that absorb the energy hitting the structure and turning it into renewable energy. The added construction cost may be offset by the value of energy produced.
The potential for ocean renewable energy is really enormous when transmission cables are not needed. Floating wind turbines far offshore could generate power for hydrogen power generation on commercial ships anchored nearby. Hydrogen tankers could be steadily steaming into Grays Harbor bringing clean renewable fuel. There is no practical limit to the renewable energy that can be generated from the ocean this way, and the Project is in the ideal place to make this power.
The Project takes up a relatively small space on the coast; there is room for many more projects from other developers, and a good market for competition to develop the most profitable, sustainable projects.
The picture below illustrates the opportunity. Offshore wind turbines and wave converters (shown are the Pelamis devices) can be installed off the coast of Washington in suitable depths that cover hundreds of square miles, where the seasonal wind and wave energy is among the highest in the world. They can make hydrogen at sea on floating platforms, and the hydrogen can be shipped into the nearest port - Grays Harbor. Such activity would be licensed by the Minerals Management Service and is not proposed as part of this Project. However the feasibility studies will consider this opportunity.
There are at least 4 million square km of ocean space off Grays Harbor that could generate as much as 5 MW/km2. Capturing even a small fraction of this energy would be the world's largest energy project - and it's renewable forever.
Who is likely to help make this work? The US Department of Energy (DOE) funds the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NRREL) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). NREL has been working on wind turbine technologies for many years and has recently been studying offshore wind turbines and a variety of installation methods. NREL is coordinating the DOE’s new Ocean Energy research program and is planning to develop ocean energy technology test sites. The Project is ideal for this purpose and the Company is already initiating discussions how to make this happen.
The PNNL is DOE’s center for environmental studies of fish and hydropower generation. It has a Marine Science Center at Sequim, Washington which specializes in small and large scale marine environmental studies. PNNL has appointed an Ocean Energy Business Manager who is now in discussion with the Company regarding partnership with PNNL for environmental studies and monitoring of the Project.
Two ocean energy R&D bills have passed out of the US House and Senate and are headed to conference, and likely to be funded to provide over $10 million a year for ocean energy R&D. Grays Harbor and the Project are located in the district of Congressman Norm Dicks, D-WA. He sits on the House Appropriations Committee and his chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. Congressman Dicks is a strong supporter of renewable energy and also economic development in his district, and is well positioned to guide Federal funds to the DOE for test projects and environmental studies that support the Project.
What’s next? The FERC will decide within a few months whether to issue a preliminary permit, following a public comment period. All FERC proceedings can be followed on the FERC website.
The Company will be discussing the Project with key stakeholders, legislators, municipal authorities, utilities and others. Most important is the short term goal to increase the awareness that the ocean energy resources available are immense and can be harvested sustainably and economically, if the right partnerships are formed.
Where can I get more information?
Check this web site for updates. To ask questions or to be added to an email updates list, send an email to info at graysharboroceanenergy.com