US Wind Starts Collecting Offshore Wind Data Off Ocean City

US Wind has deployed a floating LiDAR buoy off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, to collect wind and marine life data for its MarWin offshore wind project.

The floating LiDAR will be deployed within the lease area for two years.

The data being collected on wind speeds and direction across the turbine height, along with that on surface meteorology and ocean condition, will help inform US Wind’s energy production estimates and overall project design. The floating LiDAR buoy will also collect environmental and wildlife data.

“The data collected will advance our understanding of wind and wildlife patterns in our lease area to inform the most environmentally responsible and efficient design, project layout, and turbine siting”, said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO.

US Wind holds the rights for the Maryland Wind Energy Area under a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease of approximately 80,000 hectares, located 16 to 48 kilometres off the state’s coast.

In 2017, the company was awarded Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) for the first phase of its MarWin project. In total, the lease area can support approximately 1,500 MW of offshore wind capacity.

The 270 MW MarWin offshore wind farm is the first in a series of project development phases in the lease area.

The MarWin project will feature up to 22 wind turbines installed approximately 17 miles from shore and expected to start generating in 2024.

In 2019, Maryland passed the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which increased the state’s offshore wind energy requirements, calling for an additional offshore wind capacity of 1.2 GW to be procured from developers with projects near the state’s coast.

NOTE: The original article has been amended.