Puerto Rican researchers explore the possibility of building wind farms in the island’s coastal waters to support the transition to renewable energywith which one must reach –by law– the 100% by 2050This technology, which has already been implemented in parts of Europe and the United States, presents advantages over traditional wind farms, as well as new challenges to overcome.
According to the project scientists, wind farms in the island’s coastal waters would have the potential to produce almost six times more than those located on land. With more space between turbines and better wind conditions, these parks could better support energy demands.
“Compared to a turbine that is in the ocean, an inland turbine may be less efficient, meaning it may be producing less energy and also, because there is more turbulence, it requires more maintenance,” he explained. Umberto Ciriprincipal investigator of the project at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez University Campus.
The southern and northern coasts of the island have been identified as the best locations for locating offshore turbines.but there is still much to explore to inform how to install and maintain them. Members of the Ciri team – such as the mechanical engineer Pharlin Medard and the theoretical physicist Jose Amell Hernandez– use numerical models to predict different turbine effects.
On the one hand, it seeks to determine challenges with maintenance. Numerical models can be used to define how the turbines would be affected by the coastal environment and, above all, major climatic events, such as hurricanes. These data can then be used to design more cyclone-resilient turbines in the Caribbean.
The aim is also to characterise the effects of turbines on marine climate systems. In this way, the impacts they would have on marine life surrounding the island can be better understood and managed.
Researchers highlighted the importance of offshore wind farms to diversify energy sources in Puerto Rico. According to Ciri, instead of relying on a single form or source of energy, which can leave the island’s population exposed to environmental or economic changes, “Having diversification makes the system a little more resilient”.
Currently, there are two onshore wind farms in Puerto Rico, in Santa Isabel and Naguabo. The latter was reopened as recently as June, after being destroyed by the Hurricane Mariain 2017.