Fledgling Wind Farms Prepped For Hurricane

As Gulf Coast oil companies brace for Hurricane Ike, the developers of new wind farm projects are confident their turbines can withstand the elements.

Wind Energy Systems Technology is moving forward with plans to build a 62-turbine wind farm off the Gulf Coast south of Houston. With one test tower constructed, company President Herman Schellstede says the towers his company designed can withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour and 200 mph gusts.

“We've been building offshore oil and gas platforms for 42 years, so we are very acquainted with how to build structures out there to endure hurricanes,” says Schellstede. “We don't feel uncomfortable saying [the towers] can withstand 150-mile-an-hour winds.”

So far, the test tower has withstood 85 mph winds, and it may see winds of more than 100 miles an hour as the storm passes through Galveston on Saturday.

Unlike the single-pole-supported towers used in the majority of the European offshore wind farms, stronger structures are required to support turbines being built off the Gulf Coast. The European model just won’t work in the Gulf, Schellstede says, because hurricanes and other cyclonic storms unleash more fierce winds. So, WEST developed a unique tripod designed to support the tower on three legs, which are buried more than 100 feet below the underwater mud line. Similarly, when winds get to around 55 miles per hour, automatic shut-off devices kick in on the turbines.

“Hurricanes are not ‘good winds’ for generating power,” says Schellstede. Steady, reliable winds are more effective for energy production.