Major Offshore Project Halted Due to Vineyard Wind 1 Blade Failure

What if a single malfunction could halt a major offshore wind project? This week, we unpack the dramatic failure of a 13-megawatt GE Venova blade during testing at the Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts, leading to extensive debris on Nantucket beaches and a stringent response from the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Plus, we explore the repercussions for offshore wind projects and the potential legal actions from the town of Nantucket against the project's owners, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

But that's not all—our episode takes a deep dive into the burgeoning energy demands of data centers, particularly in Texas and Virginia, as highlighted by the Energy Information Administration's latest report. We also bring you the innovative strides in renewable energy, including Hanwha Energy's ambitious plans for a $1.5 billion AI data center in Texas, aligned with their solar plant, and Peak Energy's breakthrough in sodium-ion battery technology, fueled by a $55 million Series A funding round. Lastly, don't miss our coverage of the Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz partnership to roll out EV chargers at over 100 Starbucks locations along Interstate 5, promising a greener future for road travelers. Tune in for these stories and more as we navigate the ever-evolving energy landscape.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello, I've got your energy stories for this the fourth week of July 2024. And in the first one, the offshore Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts suffered significant damage last week as one of its 13 megawatt GE Venova blades failed during testing. Initially, only one part of the 55 ton 107 meter blade failed, with tons of debris subsequently washing up on Nantucket beaches 15 miles away. The remainder of the blade, however, subsequently dropped into the ocean a few days later, giving offshore wind an enormous black eye that may take some time to recover from. As the Coast Guard set up a perimeter around the site and cleanup crews were dispatched to scour Nantucket beaches, the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued a suspension order, stopping all construction and operations pending a determination as to whether the failure may affect any other turbines. It also mandated that any evidence that may help determine the cause of the accident be safeguarded. Not surprisingly, as more shredded fiber flotsam floated on shore and beaches were closed, the town of Nantucket was quick to express its displeasure. Its select board announced over the weekend that it would consider legal action against joint owners Avangrid and Copenhagen infrastructure partners. Watch this space. There will be much more to come.

Speaker 1: 1:19

The Energy Information Administration released data showing that data centers are the prime driver of new US demand growth in the commercial sector, but that this affects only a limited number of states, while in others, growth has actually declined. 2023 consumption stood at 14 billion kilowatt hours, that's 14 terawatt hours to you, up 1% over 2019 in that commercial sector. Most of this is where computer server farms are taking over the landscape, such as Texas and Virginia. Demand growth in the top 10 states totaled 42 terawatt hours between 2019 and 2023, while the 40 other US states saw a total decline of 28 terawatt hours. With its access to powerful fiber connections and four submarine cables, virginia leads the pack Both available land and favorable tax credits. Texas is surging as well. It's a favorite for the crypto crowd, but also, increasingly, for AI-driven computer load, speaking of which, south Korea's Hanwha Energy announced it is planning a $1.5 billion 200 megawatt AI data center that will lease to an undisclosed US tech company in Texas. It may be partially supported by Hanwha's 2,000 megawatt solar plant in that state. Hanwha's spokesman commented that numerous companies are seeking hundreds of megawatts of AI data centers, which is good for Hanwha with its renewable business. Watch here for more announcements. As well as new AI-driven data centers grow increasingly hungry for power around the globe.

Speaker 1: 2:51

Us-based Peak Energy just secured $55 million in a Series A fundraising round to start full-scale production of its sodium ion battery technology. Peak indicates in a press release that it is already experiencing significant demand for its battery systems and plans to deploy sodium batteries to six customers participating in pilot programs as early as next year. These include three of the top five largest US independent power producers and electric utilities. The company says it also plans to start construction of its first domestic gigascale sodium-ion battery factory to open by 2027.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging announced a joint project to deploy EV chargers at over 100 US-based Starbucks. Phase one will include deploying from 4 to 10 400kW chargers at locations along Interstate 5. That's the north-south highway between Canada and Mexico. The total number of chargers installed will depend on utility infrastructure as well as EV saturations in various geographies. This announcement falls on the heels of a Starbucks partnership with Volvo in which 50 charging stations were deployed at 15 locations about every 100 miles between Seattle and Denver. When concluded, starbucks intends on providing customer access to chargers at close to 1,000 of its total 17,000 US locations. For its part, benz opened its first US charger site in the US just last November and now has over a dozen 400 KW stations at sites mostly in the southeastern United States. Well, that's all for this week. Thanks for watching and we'll see you again next week.