The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) developed the conceptual design of the foundation system last year through a US Department of Energy (DOE) competition. A new DOE award of $2.8 million was finalized today to complete the detailed engineering.

According to Dr Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo. this will be the first monopile foundation designed from the ground up to be built by American companies and installed in American waters. “Monopiles have proven to be the most cost-effective solution for the vast majority of offshore wind projects in the world,» Wagner said. «This design will enable American fabricators to compete against their European counterparts that already have decades of experience in this industry.”

LEEDCo has partnered with GLWN, a leading wind industry supply chain adviser, to engage local and regional fabricators. GLWN is an initiative of WIRE-Net, a Cleveland-based manufacturing support organization. With their help, LEEDCo selected American Tank Fabricating (ATF), a Cleveland-based steel fabricator, as a partner to represent US fabricators during the design process.

“ATF has over 70 years of experience providing quality steel products, and we are excited about the opportunity to extend our expertise for use in the offshore wind industry,” said ATF CEO Michael Ripich. “Offshore wind in Lake Erie has huge potential, and we look forward to collaborating with LEEDCo on this project.”

LEEDCo will work with several other key project partners. A team at Case Western Reserve University, led by Professor David Zeng, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, will conduct laboratory testing to validate the design; Offshore Design Engineering, a U.K.-based company that has designed and installed several European offshore wind projects, will lead the detailed engineering of the foundation; the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, located in Hanover New Hampshire, part of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center, will characterize ice formations in Lake Erie to inform the loads analysis; and Sound and Sea Technology, an ocean engineering firm based in Lynnwood, Washington, will perform geophysical and geotechnical analysis.

The foundation design will be used first for LEEDCo’s Project Icebreaker, a six-turbine offshore wind demonstration project planned for the Ohio waters of Lake Erie seven miles north of downtown Cleveland. The design team will collaborate closely with Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, LEEDCo’s key partner for developing an installation strategy for offshore wind in the Great Lakes.

Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Cleveland Foundation president and CEO Ronn Richard, longtime supporters of the Icebreaker project, voiced their enthusiasm for this latest development.

“The Department of Energy’s further support of Project Icebreaker will provide the initiative with continued momentum to create a freshwater wind industry built upon our current economic assets,» Mayor Jackson said. «The transition to a clean, renewable energy economy is a key part of my Sustainable Cleveland initiative. ”

Mr. Richard, who also chairs LEEDCo’s board, said this engineering initiative represents one more step on the path to creating a new advanced energy economy in Greater Cleveland. «Building offshore wind projects in Lake Erie sets our region on a path to creating jobs and protecting one of our country’s most important freshwater resources.”

ABOUT LEEDCO

The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) is a regional non-profit corporation leading efforts to create an offshore wind energy industry in Northeast Ohio. As a public-private partnership, LEEDCo represents Northern Ohio’s public interest in offshore wind and is working to develop an initial 18-megawatt project in Lake Erie seven miles offshore Cleveland. Founded in 2009, LEEDCo members include Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Lake and Lorain Counties, City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Foundation and NorTech. | www.leedco.org