Tesla Battery System Proposed for U.S. Offshore Wind Project
Deepwater Wind has unveiled plans for its newest U.S. offshore wind project: Revolution Wind, a utility-scale offshore wind farm paired with an energy storage system.
The company is proposing the 144MW Revolution Wind farm – paired with a 40 megawatt-hour battery storage system provided by Tesla – in response to the Commonwealth’s request for proposals for new sources of clean energy in Section 83D of the Act to Promote Energy Diversity. Deepwater Wind also provided alternative bids for a larger 288MW version of Revolution Wind and a smaller 96MW version.
A 144MW farm could be built in a single construction season and could power around 70,000 homes. It would be adjacent to Deepwater Wind’s South Fork Wind Farm, a 90MW project serving Long Island. Fully-built, the lease site has the potential to host two gigawatts of offshore wind energy.
If approved, local construction work on Revolution Wind would begin in 2022, with the project in operations in 2023. Survey work is already underway.
Revolution Wind would be the largest combined offshore wind and energy storage project in the world. Deepwater Wind Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Grybowski says: “People may be surprised by just how affordable and reliable this clean energy combo will be. Offshore wind is mainstream, and it is coming to the U.S. in a big way.” Revolution Wind is flexible and scalable, he says.
Revolution Wind’s offshore wind-battery storage pairing will reliably deliver clean energy – backed up with energy storage – during the times when the grid needs it most, says Grybowski, and will help to defer the need to construct costly new peaking generating facilities and controversial transmission lines.
Deepwater Wind also announced that it will be the first offshore wind company to base construction and operations in the City of New Bedford, Mass. The company will locate final turbine assembly and staging operations at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. The company's long-term operations and maintenance center will also be located in the city.
Deepwater Wind intends to submit an offshore wind proposal under Massachusetts’ separate 83C offshore wind RFP by December 2018.
The company is currently the only operator of an offshore wind farm in the U.S. with the 30MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island in commercial operations since December 2016. Deepwater Wind is also in the early stages of development of its South Fork Wind Farm – a 90MW project scheduled to begin serving Long Island in 2022 – as well as Maryland's Skipjack Wind Farm – a 120MW project expected to commence operation in late 2022.
Revolution Wind would be Tesla's second wind power project. The company won a contract for a system to be paired with a wind farm in Australia last month.