The inner shelf geology of Atlantic Canada compared with the North Sea and Atlantic United States: Insights for Atlantic Canadian offshore wind energy

Eamer, Jordan B.R.; Shaw, John; King, E.L.; MacKillop, K

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2020.104297

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In the United Kingdom, the Marine Data Portal provides access to legacy data from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. Other examples include mapping the Irish Sea (Mellett et al, 2015), North Sea Basin (Le Bot et al, 2005), offshore Atlantic Canada (Eamer et al, 2021), and the Taiwan Straits (Han et al, 2020), which can support appraisal of prospective areas with accumulations of sediment suitable for foundations. Shallow continental shelves were also historical targets for hydrocarbons exploration, and legacy datasets may be repurposed to enhance understanding of stratigraphic and sedimentary architecture when assessing suitability of offshore wind sites (Fitch et al, 2011;Cotterill et al, 2012;Dove et al, 2016Dove et al, , 2017.…”

Section: Site Identification and Investigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoscience Solutions for Sustainable Offshore Wind Development

Velenturf¹,

Emery²,

Hodgson³

et al. 2021

Earth Sci. Syst. Soc.

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Low carbon energy infrastructure, such as wind and solar farms, are crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. During 2020, 5.2 GW of offshore wind capacity went into operation worldwide, taking the total operational capacity of global offshore wind to 32.5 GW from 162 offshore windfarms, and over 200 GW of new capacity is planned by 2030. To meet net-zero targets, growth of offshore wind generation is expected, which raises new challenges, including integration of offshore wind into the natural environment and the wider energy system, throughout the wind farm lifecycle. This review examines the role of geosciences in addressing these challenges; technical sustainability challenges and opportunities are reviewed, filtered according to global governance priorities, and assessed according to the role that geoscience can play in providing solutions. We find that geoscience solutions play key roles in sustainable offshore wind energy development through two broad themes: 1) windfarm and infrastructure site conditions, and 2) infrastructure for transmission, conversion and energy storage. To conclude, we recommend priorities and approaches that will support geoscience contributions to offshore wind, and ultimately enable sustainable offshore wind development. Recommendations include industry collaboration and systems for effective data sharing and archiving, as well as further research, education and skills.

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Section: Site Identification and Investigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoscience Solutions for Sustainable Offshore Wind Development

Velenturf¹,

Emery²,

Hodgson³

et al. 2021

Earth Sci. Syst. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Another study focused on the continental shelf of Atlantic Canada and discovered that most of its geology is not suitable for pile-driven (i.e., fixed) foundations, rendering floating offshore wind a more appropriate solution. One potential location that exists within this region suitable for these types of foundations is around Sable Island, NS [30].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Techno-Economic and Environmental Performance of Hydrogen Deployment Paradigms in Canada

Maynard¹

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This thesis presents a multi-scale investigation of the cost and performance of two hydrogen transition pathways. It adopts a systems perspective to: 1) simulate hydrogen transition in one Canadian region that is pursuing hydrogen as a way to exit natural gas, and 2) optimize the deployment of hydrogen-backed microgrids to meet electrical and thermal loads in Canada's remote and northern communities, which currently rely on diesel. These constitute two applications where hydrogen deployment could be demonstrated in the near-term, because current fossil alternatives are expensive and undesirable. Chapter 2 simulates production pathways for green hydrogen in Canada's Atlantic Maritimes. It employs empirical growth rates to estimate the installed capacity, cost, and emissions of an integrated energy system that couples offshore wind with electrolysis. Various scenarios are considered: hydrogen storage, grid integration, and freight transportation. Hydrogen production is found to be at least three times costlier than grid integration. Projects could be implemented by 2050 and at <2 $/kgH2 with aggressive growth rates, learning rates, and electrolyzer capital costs of 500 $/kW.Chapter 3 develops a method to estimate the thermal loads in remote and northern communities. It applies this method to 40 communities and develops a regression model that estimates thermal loads. Chapter 4 builds an optimization model that deploys wind turbines and reversible fuel cells to meet the electrical and thermal loads of those 40 communities. Results show that hydrogen-backed microgrids are viable and cheaper than their diesel equivalents, but they entail overbuilding of wind capacity to serve electrical and thermal needs. The cost of avoided emissions from these microgrids are equal to or greater than the federal carbon price in 2030. Five communities have costs of avoided emissions of <200 CAD/tCO2, while 30 have costs of <500 CAD/tCO2.iii Preface This integrated thesis includes three chapters that have been formatted for publication in the peer-reviewed literature as research articles. Until the articles are published, readers must cite these chapters as follows:• Chapter 2 can be cited as: Maynard I, Abdulla A. Expanding green hydrogen production to supplant liquid or gaseous fuels in a net-zero transition. Renewable Energy.

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