Gauging the potential of new, renewable energy sources is often a problem when establishing them. Scientists from the Savannah River National Laboratory are working toward a solution for that problem.
On a U.S. Coast Guard platform off the coast of Georgetown, SRNL, the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) and their partners have begun testing technology to provide insight into how much energy potential South Carolina’s offshore winds offer.
SRNL, CURI and partners — utility provider Santee Cooper, Clemson University’s S.C. Institute for Energy Studies, Coastal Carolina University, the Center for Hydrogen Research and the U.S. Coast Guard — make up the South Carolina Consortium for Offshore Wind. This consortium will study South Carolina’s coastal winds to determine the viability of developing the state’s first offshore wind farm.
What is the goal?
The ultimate goal is the deployment of offshore wind energy technology to diversify South Carolina’s energy resources and significantly increase the region’s energy independence.
The Eastern seaboard has one of the largest untapped supplies of wind energy in the United States. Wind is considered one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources, according to SRNL releases.
It has been estimated that South Carolina alone could produce up to 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of power from its coastal and offshore wind resources using existing technology. Capturing less than 3 percent of this potential would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 to 2.5 million tons per year and up to 16,000 tons of SO2 emissions, according to information provided by SRNL.
As a frame of reference, provided by the South Carolina Energy Office, 1 GW of generated power can power about 400,000 homes, and the State of Vermont is powered off of only 1.2 GW of power.
