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Modeling Annual Electricity Production and Levelized Cost of Energy from the US East Coast Offshore Wind Energy Lease Areas

Author

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  • Rebecca J. Barthelmie

    (Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA)

  • Gunner C. Larsen

    (Wind Energy Department, Danish Technical University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark)

  • Sara C. Pryor

    (Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA)

Abstract

Offshore wind energy development along the East Coast of the US is proceeding quickly as a result of large areas with an excellent wind resource, low water depths and proximity to large electricity markets. Careful planning of wind turbine deployments in these offshore wind energy lease areas (LA) is required to maximize power output and to minimize wake losses between neighboring wind farms as well as those internal to each wind farm. Here, we used microscale wind modeling with two wake parameterizations to evaluate the potential annual energy production (AEP) and wake losses in the different LA areas, and we developed and applied a levelized cost of energy (LCoE) model to quantify the impact of different wind turbine layouts on LCoE. The modeling illustrated that if the current suite of LA is subject to deployment of 15 MW wind turbines at a spacing of 1.85 km, they will generate 4 to 4.6% of total national electricity demand. The LCoE ranged from $68 to $102/MWh depending on the precise layout selected, which is cost competitive with many other generation sources. The scale of the wind farms that will be deployed greatly exceed those currently operating and mean that wake-induced power losses are considerable but still relatively poorly constrained. AEP and LCoE exhibited significant dependence on the precise wake model applied. For the largest LA, the AEP differed by over 10% depending on the wake model used, leading to a $10/MWh difference in LCoE for the wind turbine layout with 1.85 km spacing.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca J. Barthelmie & Gunner C. Larsen & Sara C. Pryor, 2023. "Modeling Annual Electricity Production and Levelized Cost of Energy from the US East Coast Offshore Wind Energy Lease Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-29, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:12:p:4550-:d:1165075
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shields, Matt & Beiter, Philipp & Nunemaker, Jake & Cooperman, Aubryn & Duffy, Patrick, 2021. "Impacts of turbine and plant upsizing on the levelized cost of energy for offshore wind," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    2. Jens Nørkær Sørensen & Gunner Christian Larsen, 2021. "A Minimalistic Prediction Model to Determine Energy Production and Costs of Offshore Wind Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-27, January.
    3. David Rowell & Brian Jenkins & James Carroll & David McMillan, 2022. "How Does the Accessibility of Floating Wind Farm Sites Compare to Existing Fixed Bottom Sites?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Rebecca J. Barthelmie & Kaitlyn E. Dantuono & Emma J. Renner & Frederick L. Letson & Sara C. Pryor, 2021. "Extreme Wind and Waves in U.S. East Coast Offshore Wind Energy Lease Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-25, February.
    5. Beatriz Cañadillas & Richard Foreman & Gerald Steinfeld & Nick Robinson, 2023. "Cumulative Interactions between the Global Blockage and Wake Effects as Observed by an Engineering Model and Large-Eddy Simulations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-24, March.
    6. Bart Matthijs Doekemeijer & Eric Simley & Paul Fleming, 2022. "Comparison of the Gaussian Wind Farm Model with Historical Data of Three Offshore Wind Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-23, March.
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    Cited by:

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