![]() ![]() New York is requiring that all new projects use compatible cable technology. It recently approved a coordinated transmission plan for its next few offshore wind projects. And in the meantime, some states are moving forward independently. Who builds it? Who pays for it? Who owns it? The federal government is looking at some of these questions as part of a two-year study for the Atlantic Coast. WASSER: Still, there are a lot of big unknowns about an offshore grid. SHATTUCK: If any one of the lines goes down, you still have all the other ones. ![]() Plus, Shattuck says, connecting all of the wind farms offshore would be good for grid reliability. It likely would be better for the environment and fishing industry, too, since it would require fewer cables under the ocean floor. But whatever the design, experts say building it will be cheaper and probably faster than only trying to upgrade onshore infrastructure. He says there could be one central backbone running from Maine to Florida that all the projects plug into or something that's more decentralized. WASSER: Peter Shattuck is the president of Anbaric, a Boston-based company that specializes in building transmission infrastructure for renewable energy. PETER SHATTUCK: And so we've got a natural opportunity now to focus on building out the ocean grid. This so-called ocean grid isn't necessarily a new idea, but it's gained traction in the last few years as offshore wind finally looks like it's going to take off in the U.S. Instead of extension cords, think of linked power strips. WASSER: What Hines is talking about is a coordinated transmission system of arteries in the ocean that will bring power directly to Boston, New York City and other population centers along the East Coast. HINES: It would be ideal if we could create a system that the offshore wind farms could connect into, as opposed to every project trying to find its own landing point, its own connection into the land-based grid. ![]() Upgrading to arteries will cost billions of dollars. But the grid in those areas is full of capillaries. WASSER: Many of the first few offshore wind projects will plug in to Cape Cod and parts of Long Island. You know, you really have to find the right points into the grid. HINES: When you plug into the grid, you want to plug in to the arteries, right? If you get a blood transfusion, you don't take it through your finger where they try to pump blood through your capillaries. He says to think about transmission lines like a system of arteries, veins and capillaries. WASSER: Eric Hines leads the offshore wind energy graduate program at Tufts University. And second, the onshore grid just isn't set up to accept so much electricity.ĮRIC HINES: All of us have had moments where we plugged in too many things to one socket in the house and we blew a fuse, right? First, developers could run out of places like Brayton Point to plug into. This is fine for now, but soon, there will be two big problems. Wind developers will essentially run a high-voltage extension cord from their wind farms to open substations on land, usually whatever's closest. WASSER: To date, all offshore wind projects on the East Coast are designed to work like this. MOTT: And from there, it goes into the public's grid system. The energy will travel through cables buried about six feet beneath the ocean floor and land here at Brayton Point. WASSER: It will all start 30 miles out in the ocean where later this decade, powerful winds will spin turbines to generate electricity. LAWRENCE MOTT: With the coal plant being decommissioned, we're taking advantage of that same infrastructure to connect the offshore wind power. Now Lawrence Mott with offshore wind developer Mayflower Wind says this humming electrical equipment is about to get a second, greener life. MIRIAM WASSER, BYLINE: Brayton Point, in southeast Massachusetts, was once home to New England's largest coal plant. ![]() As WBUR's Miriam Wasser reports, one solution may be to lay an electrical grid in the ocean. Offshore wind farms are poised to deliver a lot of carbon-free electricity, but the electrical grid in many coastal areas can't handle that load. ![]()
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