A whole new industry: Researchers hone floating offshore wind turbines for launch

(14 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Orono, Maine - 27 March 2024
1. Various of floating turbine being tested in indoor pool at the University of Maine
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Habib Dagher, executive director, University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"The federal government declared floating wind as the fifth U.S. earth shot, as a key technology to meet our climate goals, as well as our energy goals as a country."
3. Habib, center, looking information on laptop computer with colleagues
4. Wide of engineers monitoring wave pool
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Habib Dagher, executive director, University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"We have over 50 people, engineers, working on floating wind in this laboratory."
6. Various of wave-making equipment
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Habib Dagher, executive director, University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"With 3% of the Gulf of Maine surface area, we can heat every home and drive every car in Maine. That's how big the resource is. Now let's move that to the country as a whole, okay?
8. Mid of wind turbine floating in pool
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Habib Dagher, executive director, University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"In the United States, there's enough offshore wind capacity within 50 miles of the U.S. shores to power of the country four times over. So it could be an important part of our future to combat climate change because of how big that resource is."
10. Engineer looking at computer screen with floating turbine model on the screen
11. Close of computer screen showing model. UPSOUND "Gives you an overlay of the markers and everything on it."
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Viselli, manager of offshore model testing and structure design at University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"You have to prove it out. So that's what this facility is, it's a proving ground for new technology."
13. Mid of floating wind turbine in pool
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Viselli, manager of offshore model testing and structure design at University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"You have 16 paddles on one end that can simulate the real ocean at scale."
15. Close of model on computer screen
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Viselli, manager of offshore model testing and structure design at University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center:
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"And off shore, and in the water depths, typically the winds are better, so you get higher capacity factors for floating, typically."
17. Wide of floating turbine in indoor test pool

STORYLINE:
Researchers around the world are racing to create large wind turbines and floating platforms as upcoming lease auctions bring offshore wind closer to reality.

Floating turbines are the only way for some countries and U.S. states to capture a massive amount of offshore wind energy.

As the technology advances, it could help the world shift away from fossil fuels to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

In Maine, researchers are focusing on a simple platform that could be made with materials like concrete readily available around the world.

Eventually, they hope to create turbines rising hundreds of feet tall and capable of producing 20 megawatts of electricity apiece.
The turbine tech is advancing at a rapid pace.
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