In December 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy announced investments in seven offshore wind projects including the GoWind project which will be led by the Texas A&M Energy Institute's Wind Energy Center. GoWind includes multiple university and industry partners. This is the third installment in a series about those partners and how their unique technologies, knowledge and abilities will contribute to the ultimate success of the GoWind project.

State Impact

June 17, 2013 | 11:02 AM

By Michael Marks

Texas leads the nation in wind energy, but all of that is on land. Now several groups are looking out to the Gulf of Mexico for more wind energy potential.

Heather Otten, the Chief Development Officer for Baryonyx Corporation, manages the day to day operations of one such company. As StateImpact Texas previously reported, Baryonyx is part of a group called the GoWind Project, whose plan is to bring offshore wind farms to the Texas coast by 2016.

The GoWind Project is competing with seven other offshore wind operations for money from the Department of Energy, which will choose three of the projects for full funding next Spring.

Otten recently spoke to StateImpact Texas about the progress of the GoWind Project, offshore wind's main challenges, and dinosaurs.

Q: Why don't we have wind turbines in the Gulf of Mexico yet?

A: I think the simple answer to that is economics. Offshore wind projects are more expensive than onshore. There's no limit in Texas really for onshore wind, and then we have, as you know, the natural gas, the fracking and everything, so with natural gas prices so low, power prices are low. So it really is purely economics.

Q: So what's changed in that equation so that now Baryonyx is getting closer to putting a turbine in the water?

A: Actually not a lot. But you look at the long term volatility, and you assume that gas prices are not going to stay this low. But the beauty of wind power is it's a fixed cost. You don't have fuel costs, it's up front cost. [Wind power] is a good backup.

Q: Then how long will it be until we have offshore wind in the Gulf?

A: The hope is to have in by the end of 2016 into 2017. As far as the commercial-scale build out, that will hopefully follow right along that.

Q: Are you concerned at all about hurricanes?

A: We're not particularly concerned about hurricanes because we're doing all the proper study and research. The foundations are built with an air gap ... above the highest wave. I'm not an engineer, but there's a formula there. It's similar technology to what all the offshore oil rigs use. We're using a similar foundation, it's basically what they call a jacket design. You have 4,000 oil rigs off the Gulf of Mexico [with a jacket design], we're using what they know and improving on it.

Q: A lot of people are concerned with whether or not offshore wind will change the way the coast looks. Have you heard from the public at all in reference to those issues?

A: We have. There's concern. Folks are concerned that it's going to ruin their viewshed on South Padre Island. But we are 5 to 10 miles offshore, so the visibility is not going to be huge. It's interesting, just this past week I was out in the [United Kingdom] and I went and visited a project that is the same size [as Baryonyx's turbines], and the same distance offshore, and you could barely see them. You wouldn't see them unless you were looking for them. And I was quite surprised by that actually.

To read the rest of the interview with Heather Otten, click here.

Gov. Rick Perry today ceremonially signed House Bill 4, which lays the foundation for meeting Texas' water future water needs. HB 4 provides for active, full-time governance at the Texas Water Development Board; creates a new funding mechanism to support water-supply project implementation over the next 50 years; and directs local, regional and state officials to prioritize projects to ensure efficient use of available resources. The governor was joined by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus, as well as bill authors Reps. Allan Ritter, Four Price, Eric Johnson, Doug Miller and Eddie Lucio III, and sponsor Sen. Troy Fraser at the signing ceremony.

"Water is an essential part of everyone's life, and ensuring adequate supplies means continued job creation, stronger communities and healthier families for decades to come," Gov. Perry said. "HB 4 will help secure our water supplies for generations, even through rapid population and economic growth, by creating new funds that will support local and regional projects and lower the cost of issuing bonds for much-needed water projects."

HB 4 will ensure Texas has a reliable water supply for the next 50 years by promoting conservation and innovative reuse. With voter approval of SJR 1 this fall, this $2 billion investment will fund up to $30 billion in projects over the next 50 years. These measures will help address the increased demand population growth will have on our water needs now and into the future.

 Our state's economic engine continues to outpace the rest of the nation, so we're taking aggressive steps to ensure our infrastructure can support the accompanying growth," Lt. Gov. Dewhurst said. "This bill is part of an overall solution that combines great fiscal stewardship with citizen involvement and sound strategic planning to meet our state's water needs for the next fifty years."

"The Texas House made HB 4 a top priority because we have all seen the devastating effects that severe drought can have on our farms, our communities and our entire economy," Speaker Straus said. "In addition, we know that a reliable supply of water will help us remain the leading state in the country for job creation."

"It has been an honor to work with leadership on securing our future water supply," Rep. Ritter said. "The Governor and the Legislature worked together to help ensure that we will have our most essential element to public health and economic growth for decades to come."

"The drought not only has an impact on the health and safety of our communities but it also affects our State's economy and the ability to attract new businesses," Sen. Fraser said. "I am glad that we finally passed HB 4 to implement the State Water Plan, so we can ensure Texas will have sufficient water supplies during times of drought."

House Bill 4 becomes law on Sept. 1, 2013.

With a generous donation of $40,000 from ConocoPhillips, the Energy Institute awarded eight fellowships to support outstanding graduate students doing energy research. Over 40 applicants from 16 departments were nominated for this competitive award. The award recipients are known as "Energy Institute Fellows."

Each month, a Fellow will be featured in the highlights section of News Briefs.  This month's featured Fellow is Julian Sculley, a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry.

Julian's research project is entitled "High-Throughput Analysis Model to Predict Energy Requirements of Mixed Gas Separations." For a brief abstract of Julian's research, click here.  

To see the complete listing of EI Fellows, visit our web site at http://energy.tamu.edu.