Abstract

After a decade of historic growth, wind power is now the most used renewable energy source in the US. Annual wind generation totaled 300 million watt hours (MWh) in 2019, exceeding hydroelectric generation by 26 million. The renewable energy sectors are surging and are predicted to be nearly 40% of the U.S. energy market within the next three decades.

Currently the U.S. has only a single working offshore wind farm (Block Island), but a $70 billion market is forecast with the potential to generate 2000 gigawatts (GW) per year and nearly double the nation’s current electrical use.

An explosion of offshore leasing for windfarms on the eastern seaboard has stretched the limits of U.S. based offshore survey companies, requiring operators to reach across the Atlantic to Europe for vessels and in some cases qualified personnel. Current proposed windfarm leases lie on the shallow Atlantic shelf in water depths between 30 and 60 meters, but floating offshore windfarms are already being proposed for deeper water.

The current survey approach utilizes tried and true 2D site investigation methods that were developed in the 1970s. The purpose of this presentation is to highlight potential new survey approaches and demonstrate how their application may increase efficiency, reduce uncertainty, and eliminate delays encountered during the formulation of a ground model. Figures 1-3 provide illustrations of high-resolution shallow surveys.