Delaware Project Facts
To help you find the answers you need quickly, we have organized facts and information about the project into the categories listed below. As news and progress occurs, we will update this section with new information. If you have a question or concern that is not covered here, please feel free to contact us. Your questions and feedback enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of Delaware.
Facts Categories
Basics
What benefits does offshore wind energy bring to Delaware?Why is Bluewater Wind proposing offshore wind energy for Delaware?
Why go offshore to generate wind energy?
Where will Delaware's wind park be built?
What agencies must approve Bluewater Wind's proposed wind park?
What benefits does offshore wind energy bring to Delaware?
- Price stability. Electricity from wind is inflation-proof, and not subject to the price volatility of natural gas, oil, and coal. In the near future, these fossil fuel plants very likely will have to pay carbon taxes related to their greenhouse gas emissions; these taxes could be quite high. On the other hand, wind is a free, and inexhaustible, fuel source. Moreover, a wind park has low, predictable operation and maintenance costs. Over the minimum 25-year life span of a wind park, wind electricity is expected to be considerably cheaper than coal, oil, and natural gas.
- Clean energy. Every kilowatt hour is free of toxic emissions that pollute our air and water. Offshore wind generates no toxic waste, no thermal pollution that can harm our marine ecosystems, requires no unsightly mining and no risky fuel deliveries.
- Dependable energy. Offshore wind delivers energy where it is needed most: to shore communities that are experiencing high population growth rates. It also avoids transmission bottlenecks and mitigates the need to construct additional high voltage transmission lines.
- Economic development. Offshore wind energy will keep more energy dollars in the United States and positively impact the Delaware economy.
Why is Bluewater Wind proposing offshore wind energy for Delaware?
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- Wind energy suits
Why go offshore to generate wind energy?
- In Delaware, and along the densely populated east coast, there is scarce suitable land for onshore wind parks.
- Offshore wind speeds are generally higher, and wind is steadier.
- Located more than 13 miles from land as proposed by Bluewater Wind, the Delaware wind park, when visible at all, will appear very small on the horizon.
- Connecting offshore turbines to the power grid avoids construction of expensive high voltage overland transmission lines.
Where will Delaware's wind park be built?
Bluewater Wind has proposed a location for the wind park more than 13 miles off the Delaware Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. This site runs just south of Cape Henlopen to just south of the Indian River Inlet. Other uses of the site will continue after the project is completed.
This site offers stable-priced, pollution-free, renewable energy for Delaware's citizens. At more than 13 miles from shore, the proposed wind park will be unobstrusive. In fact, on a typical hazy summer day, the turbines will be impossible to see from shore, and only slightly visible at other times. To see how they will appear from shore, view our wind park visualizations.
What agencies must approve Bluewater Wind's proposed wind park?
Delmarva Power has reviewed all proposals along with four state agencies: the Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC), the Delaware Energy Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Controller General's office. Once the power purchase agreement has been signed, rigorous scientific studies will be carried out to ensure that there will be no unforeseen adverse effects.
Environment
How visible will offshore wind turbines be from Delaware's coast?Will birds be protected from an offshore wind park?
Will there be any noise associated with an offshore wind park?
How visible will offshore wind turbines be from Delaware's coast?
- At more than 13 miles offshore, as proposed by Bluewater Wind, the wind park will not intrude on the beauty and visual integrity of Delaware's most precious assets: its coastline and beaches. To see how the wind park will appear from shore, view our wind park visualizations.
- On a summer day, the typical haze will render the turbines invisible. In winter, the turbines will be minimally visible. As an illustration, imagine standing onshore and extending your arm out to the horizon in a "thumbs up" gesture. Turbine visibility would be less than half the height of your thumbnail, and thinner than a toothpick.
Will birds be protected from an offshore wind park?
Data gathered from European offshore wind parks over the past 15 years demonstrate that the turbines do not endanger birds and marine life. Bluewater Wind's plan to build more than eleven miles from shore places the turbines well away from the fly zones of most bird populations. The experience in Europe indicates that marine mammals and other marine life are essentially undisturbed by offshore wind turbines. In fact, over time, individual turbine foundations quickly transform into artificial reefs, creating a widespread fish haven that is a boon to recreational and commercial fishing and scuba diving. Nonetheless, expert biologists will conduct thorough avian studies and marine studies to ensure that there are no unforeseen impacts on birds or marine life.
We believe the studies and summaries provided below are the most comprehensive available, and are the most relevant to the proposed Delaware Offshore Wind Park. However, there is an extensive amount of information available about birds and wind turbines, and so we invite you to research your questions elsewhere as well.
- Danish Experiences from Horns Rev and Nysted (two of Europe's largest offshore wind parks)
- Assessing effects of the Horns Rev and Nysted offshore wind farms on birds - conclusions from 6 years' monitoring
- Avian collision risk at an offshore wind farm, by Desholm and Johnny, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark, published in Biology Letters, (2005) 1, 296-298
- Wind Turbine Interactions With Birds And Bats: A Summary Of Research Results And Remaining Questions
You might also want to read why Delaware Audubon supports the Offshore Wind Park.
Will there be any noise associated with an offshore wind park?
Despite their size, wind turbines are remarkably quiet. Today's high-tech machines generate what is termed broadband noise, often described as a "whooshing" sound. At a distance of 750 to 1,000 feet, modern windmills are no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator. Delaware's wind park would be sited 13 miles out (68,640 feet), so the whooshing would not be detectable from shore.
Energy
Who will use the electricity from the wind project?What happens to energy production when the wind doesn't blow?
Who will use the electricity from the wind project?
Electricity generated by the Bluewater Offshore Wind Park will be used by homes and small businesses (known as "SOS Customers") that are served by Delmarva Power. Cables buried about six feet below the seabed first carry the electricity to offshore transformers and then to onshore facilities, before connecting to the existing grid at onshore substations.
What happens to energy production when the wind doesn't blow?
Wind strength and speeds vary, but at no time will Delaware consumers be caught short because of a lull in wind. During those times Delmarva and the regional electric system operator will cover Delaware's energy needs from other sources in the state's energy portfolio. The system operator will balance the flow of energy into and out of the power grid to make sure that all Delawareans are served - just as it does now during periods of high demand, or when Delaware's fossil fuel plants are closed for maintenance or because of equipment failure.
Economics
What is the relationship between offshore wind and electricity rates?What is the relationship between an offshore wind park and tourism at Delaware's beaches?
What is the relationship between an offshore wind park and property values along Delaware's coast?
What is the relationship between offshore wind and electricity rates?
An offshore wind park will help to stabilize the price of electricity by using an energy source that is not subject to the fluctuation of market prices of fossil fuel, such as coal or natural gas. Bluewater Wind wants Delaware consumers to benefit from this price stability and we will do this by offering to sell the electricity generated at our wind park at a pre-determined price for a long-term period (25 years). Wind generated electricity provides Delaware consumers with far greater price stability than is currently available. Furthermore, wind energy is not subject to the prospect of future additional costs of complying with new environmental regulations. These costs, including a carbon tax, are ones that a fossil fuel generator will have to pass on to consumers, and are considered increasingly likely -and increasingly expensive- as we continue to grapple with the problem of global warming.
What is the relationship between an offshore wind park and tourism at Delaware's beaches?
An offshore wind park is completely compatible with tourism at Delaware's beaches. This conclusion is supported by years of experience in Europe, where offshore wind turbines are welcomed by tourists. Indeed, there are many examples of wind parks actually boosting tourism.
- In Denmark, wind parks off the shores of two major destinations - the capital city of Copenhagen and the beach resort of Blavandshuk - are popular tourist attractions. Copenhagen organizes boat tours for tourists interested in getting a closer look at the majestic turbines in motion.
- Here at home, where onshore wind parks predominate, the same holds true. Tucker County West Virginia is creating an overlook area for motorists in response to demand for viewing access, working with the project owner to create an educational kiosk. Palm Springs, California tourism officials organize bus tours to local wind parks.
What is the relationship between an offshore wind park and property values along Delaware's coast?
Delaware's wind park will be more than eleven nautical miles off the Delaware coast. A government study released in 2003 tracked more than 25,000 real estate transactions around the largest onshore wind parks in the U.S. and found no adverse effects of wind parks on nearby real estate prices. This study considered projects where the turbines were much more visible than would be the case for Delaware's offshore wind park. At over eleven miles offshore, the wind turbines will generally not be visible on the typical hazy conditions during the summer. Bluewater is proud to have selected sites far offshore that avoid concerns related to the view of the wind park.
Fishing and Boating
Can there be recreational and commercial fishing and boating at a wind park?Can there be recreational and commercial fishing and boating at a wind park?
- Boating and fishing activities around the wind park will continue. These activities will likely even be enhanced since the turbine foundations quickly transform into artificial reefs, creating a widespread fish haven that is a boon to fishing and scuba diving.
- Offshore turbines are spaced about one-half mile apart, providing ample room for boating and fishing vessels to move safely within the wind park.
- There is no blanket "exclusionary zone" for boaters and fishermen, other than a ten-meter (33 feet) navigation prudent caution zone around the base of each turbine.
Operations
How long will it take to construct the wind park, and when would it become operational?How much maintenance do wind turbines require?
Can turbines operate in a hurricane or nor'easter?
How long will it take to construct the wind park, and when would it become operational?
The process of planning, verification, permitting, and construction takes approximately two years and involves dozens of state and Federal agencies. For more details on the process and what is involved at each stage, view our timeline.
How much maintenance do wind turbines require?
Modern wind turbines require very little maintenance, typically less than 48 hours of maintenance per year. It's important to note that a wind park is essentially numerous individual power plants; when one or two turbines are down for maintenance, the rest continue to generate electricity. That's different from a fossil fuel powered plant, when the entire facility is taken offline - often for many weeks - during maintenance or equipment failure. All of the turbines are monitored continuously, assuring that any downtime for the turbines is minimized.
Can turbines operate in a hurricane or nor'easter?
Modern wind turbines are engineered to withstand the stress of extremely high winds and will remain standing, even in a hurricane-force storm. In the most extreme winds, sophisticated microprocessors automatically stop the turbine and position the blades so that they can safely ride out the storm. Once the strongest winds have passed, the wind park resumes operation.
