TY - RPRT
TI - Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to High Voltage Direct Current Cooling Systems
AU - Middleton, P
AU - Barnhart, B
AB - Offshore wind development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf is moving further offshore, and with the distance, comes the challenge of effectively transporting the power to users onshore. Alternating current (AC) generated from wind turbines may be transported onshore when the wind farm is within about 30 miles (50 kilometers). When a wind farm is located further than 30 miles from shore, additional equipment is required to effectively move this energy onshore without encountering significant losses of power during transmission. A high voltage direct current (HVDC) system is used to convert AC power to direct current (DC), which is capable of being transported longer distances without significant power losses. The conversion process from AC to HVDC generates heat as a byproduct, and the systems require cooling to protect the equipment from damage and breakdown. Concerns have been raised to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) about how HVDC systems are cooled and the impacts of the cooling systems to the environment. As of 2022, innovations in cooling systems are being studied and developed, but so far, no new systems are tested and available for use on a commercial scale.
DA - 2022/04//
PY - 2022
SP - 13
PB - Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
SN - BOEM 2022-023
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Fixed Offshore Wind
KW - Chemicals
KW - Habitat Change
KW - Fish
KW - Invertebrates
KW - Physical Environment
ER -