In Depth Cost of Energy Analysis of East Coast Offshore Wind Farms

摘要

As the United States moves closer to constructing its first offshore wind farms, data-based decisions abouthow to select the most viable project site are crucial. This in-depth study examined both the revenue andcosts of three potential wind farms off the East Coast. Multi-year energy time history analyses wereperformed to determine the energy generation and revenue potential of each site based on local winds andenergy pricing. The costs were determined for each site based on characteristics including water depth,distance to shore, and distance from a port. These characteristics formed the basis to estimate thefoundation costs, cabling costs, equipment mobilization fees, and other expenses associated with theproject. Overall, this study shows that seemingly similar sites can have a very different levelized cost ofenergy (LCOE) estimates when an in depth analysis is performed.