Advancing Offshore Wind Development in the Great Lakes

Collaborating to support research, siting and efficient permitting

AWEA Offshore Expo 2011 October 12 2011

Emily Green Great Lakes Program Director, Sierra Club

Sierra Club

• Nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization—1.4 million members and supporters

• Top priority is moving beyond coal

• Offshore wind is a top priority for utility-scale renewable energy to help fill in behind coal

Examples of collaborative efforts

• Project specific Bluewater Wind, Delaware Lake Erie Economic

Development Corporation, Ohio

• Building alliances and public/political support Virginia offshore conference NC coastal community

outreach

• Policy MD legislation Great Lakes siting and

permitting

Great Lakes Wind Resource Assessment Project

• Collaborative research led by Grand Valley State University and University of Michigan

• Funded by U.S. DOE, Michigan PSC, We Energies, University of Michigan, Sierra Club Testing and validation of LIDAR

wind assessment technology on floating platform

Acoustic monitoring for avian and bat populations

Data publicly available on the web

Great Lakes Wind Siting Project—Objective

• Enable rapid, sustainable wind development

Create an accessible, dynamic information platform for data sources relevant to offshore wind in the Great Lakes

Provide data analytics that support regional identification of wind energy zones, efficient permitting

Share knowledge between public and private stakeholders, remove opposition by increasing transparency and informing decisions

Great Lakes Wind Siting Project—Core Team

Engineering, Natural Resources and Geospatial consulting expertise to advance sustainable infrastructure - for over 130 years.

Focused on the deployment of clean renewable energy and committed to the rapid deployment of offshore renewable energy in a way that is protective of marine and coastal ecosystems. Advancing the sustainable use of land, water, energy and waste by integrating science, technology and capital into business and policy solutions.

• Engage stakeholders (throughout)

• Identify key assessment criteria for offshore wind

Regulatory review

User needs

• Research, collect and integrate data

• Develop common platform to display & analyze geospatial information for planning & permitting

• Maintain data integrity

• Apply adaptive management

Great Lakes Wind Siting Project—Approach

Offshore Wind Energy GIS (OWEGIS) Model

• Developed by the University of Maine with support from the James Sewall Company

• 650+ data layers Physical environment

Coastal hazards

Environmental impacts & wildlife

Cultural & aesthetic features

Legal, permitting boundaries

• Used to support Maine Ocean Energy Task Force selection of offshore test sites

• Supporting DeepCwind Consortium offshore wind project

• Data include public, private, and value-added proxy data

OWEGIS Assessment Criteria

Private/State Boundary State/Federal Boundary International Boundaries

Legal, Technical & Permitting Boundaries

Airports Shipping Lanes, Traffic Separations Electric Transmission System

Infrastructure & Commercial Uses

Dynamic Area Management Zones Threatened/Endangered/Depleted species Bird, bat, mammal migratory routes

Human Activity – Ecological-Environmental Impacts & Wildlife

Native Resources Shipwrecks, Lighthouses National & State Parks

Human Activity - Cultural & Aesthetic Qualities

Sightseeing Corridors Fish Collection Regions Harvesting Regions

Human Activity - Coastal Economic & Extractive Resource Uses

Military Zones Obstructions & Hazards Unexploded Ordinances, Dumping Grounds

Coastal Restrictions & Marine Hazards

Wind Resource/Mean Annual Wind Speed Bathymetry Surficial Sediments

Physical Characteristics / Physical Environment

DATA LAYERS (EXAMPLES) CATEGORY

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• US Fish & Wildlife Service • US Environmental Protection

Agency • Ohio Department of Natural

Resources • Illinois Department of Natural

Resources

• University of Michigan • The Nature Conservancy • Council of Great Lakes

Governors • Great Lakes and St. Lawrence

Cities Initiative • Great Lakes Commission • Great Lakes Wind Collaborative • Wind developers

Great Lakes Wind Siting Project—Outreach

Stakeholders engaged to date include:

Data and Platform Integration

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NOAA/Michigan Lakebed Alteration Tool

Data and Platform Integration

Ohio DNR Favorability Analysis

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Office of Coastal Management

Discussion

• Great Lakes Offshore Wind Information System Based on proven OWEGIS data platform.

Demonstrated interest, use and collaboration with governmental, NGO, and private sector stakeholders in the Great Lakes.

Outcomes:

- Reduce the barriers to investing in renewable energy projects.

- Support sustainable renewable energy siting decisions.

- Support regional collaboration around wind energy areas, efficient permitting.

- Build public and political support for offshore wind.

One piece of a much larger puzzle, but a good early step to help support long term progress.

Advancing Offshore Wind Development

Please join us or provide feedback on any of

these projects.

Emily Green

emily.green@sierraclub.org

(608) 257-4994