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South Shore Wind Project
A proposed wind farm off the south shore of Nova Scotia
7 February 2016
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Group Seven
Corey McNamara
Jeff Miles
Ashlee Wheaton
Zach Mawhinney
Spryfield, NS
Bedford, NS
Enfield, NS
Truro, NS
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
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Overview
The original motivation of our group was to improve on Nova Scotia’s environmental and
economic practices.
After conducting research on other countries around the world, we are firm believers that the
benefits of an offshore wind farm would be welcomed with open arms by the people of our
province.
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The Problem
-Nova Scotia Currently consumes 75% non renewable
energy
-Historically the province has relied on coal and oil as
its major sources of power
-Nova Scotia Power has goals to reach 40% renewable
energy production by 2020
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Current Sources of Power
Coal
-There are currently four coal power plants operational in Nova Scotia, reliant
majorly on coal bought from the international market
Natural Gas & Oil
-Tufts Cove generating station in Dartmouth can burn either oil or natural gas
depending on market conditions, supplying up to 21% of the provinces power
Wind
-Multiple wind farms across the province continually supply the province with
clean reliable energy.
Hydro & Tidal
-33 hydroelectric plants and the only tidal generating station in North America
have been supplying the province with clean energy since 1903
Biomass
-Burning organic matter differing in content based upon location, produces
energy based entirely from Nova Scotia products.
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Environmental Considerations
-Drafted in 2007, and updated in 2010, the
province as put in strict environmental
standards .
-These limit greenhouse gas emissions, as
well as restrict the burning of high sulfur
content coal
-Between the years 2010, and 2020,
greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced
over 25%
-This has lead to a demand for more
sustainable green energy solutions
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Energy Production Elsewhere
Today, wind energy supplies approximately 5% of Canada’s
electricity demand with a goal of reaching 20% by 2025. In
comparison, Denmark is already generating 20% of its power from
wind while Spain and Germany seek to reach the 25-30% range.
In Nova Scotia, close to 10% of electricity used is produced by
onshore wind turbines. However, 60% is still being produced by coal.
One way the reliance on nonrenewable sources of electricity can be
reduced is by investing in offshore wind projects.
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Intro to Offshore Wind Farms
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Offshore wind energy projects have a large
advantage over terrestrial projects as they have the
opportunity to harness energy from the more
powerful and consistent offshore winds. This
means that offshore wind farms can easily produce
more power than on land projects. There is
currently enough power being generated by
offshore wind farms around the world to power
over 2 million homes.
Intro to Offshore Wind
Farms
Although offshore wind farms have existed
for over 25 years, North America has not
replicated the success of European projects.
Over 8GW of power is produced by offshore
wind farms annually with over 91% of all
project sites located in European waters.
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NS vs. Canada; Canada vs. World; etc.
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Location Criteria
Wind Speed
Local Impact
Water Depth
In order to ensure turbines
operate at maximum
productivity, the project
site must have consistently
high wind speeds.
Sustained wind speeds
must be greater than 12
km/h.
It is important that the
proposed site has minimal
impact on the surrounding
area. The project site must
not interfere with
established shipping lanes
or commercial fishing
grounds.
Water depth and the
composition of the seabed
determine which types of
turbine support structures
are required. For economic
reasons, an ideal site
would be in shallow
waters where the
monopole foundation can
be used.
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Main Components of Solution
●
Harnesses wind energy via its main internal components,
three rotor blades, a gearbox, high and low speed shafts, and
a generator
●
Intended to maximize the voltage generated and minimize
transmission losses
Placement depending on water depth and total power
generation
Wind Turbine
Substations
Foundation
Underwater Power
Transmission Cables
●
●
The mechanism used to attach the turbine to the ocean
floor, type of structure used varies with water depth
●
Inner-Array Cables connect the turbines together and
transmit the generated power to the offshore substation
The Export Cable transmits power from the offshore
substation to land
●
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Main Elements of a Wind Turbine
Wind turbines are shipped to their installation site in four pieces, the functions of these four pieces are listed below.
TOWER
Tube like structures that support the
turbine, hollow on the inside to
provide space to run connecting
wires from the turbine to the base of
the structure. Typical tower height is
approximately 70-80m above water
level.
BLADES
Connected to the hub and are
typically 50-60m in length.
NACELLE
Encloses the high and low speed
shafts, along with the gearbox and
the generator.
HUB
The hub is located in the center of
the three blades, it’s purpose is to
transfer the wind loads to the nacelle
and rotational energy from the
blades to the gearbox.
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Construction Process
There are a number of complex stages involved in
the construction and installation of an offshore
wind farm:
●
Farm-to-Shore Power Cable Burial
●
Foundation Construction
●
Inter-Array Cable Connection and Burial
●
Turbine and Substation Assembly
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Construction Process
The monopile foundations being proposed
are built specifically for each turbine
location. Monopiles are large cylinders that
are placed directly into the seabed with a
piledriver, and then secured using large
rocks and concrete mattresses.
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Construction Process
The cables involved with an offshore wind
farm need to be placed in a way that
minimizes the required material usage. Once
placed, they are buried so that they avoid
disruption to marine life and they are
protected from preventable damages.
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Construction Process
The assembly of the turbines themselves is
relatively simple in comparison to the rest of
the farm. They are brought out to the job site
in four parts on a barge and can be installed
in twenty four hours. The substations, like
the turbines, are mounted on foundations
and can also be installed fairly quickly once
the site is ready for them.
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Project Timeline
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Comments and Questions?