Scientists at Savannah River National Laboratory are part of a key step in the quest to harness offshore wind energy along South Carolina's coast.
After a year of testing at the U.S. Energy Department lab and a coastal barrier island, researchers this week mounted an unusual monitoring device in the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown, S.C.
The "sonic wind profiler," manufactured by Boston-based Second Wind, uses sound detection and ranging technology to record wind data.
"It's the first time a SODAR is being used offshore in the Atlantic seaboard region," said Ralph Nichols, the lab's wind energy program manager. "Testing was completed two months ago, and we've moved to the next step, which was deployment offshore,"
Typical monitors record wind data up to 60 meters above the ocean's surface, but the SODAR can reach up to 200 meters.
"The data it records greatly increases the altitude at which we're able to measure windspeeds, which is important for meteorological forecasting," Nichols said.
Accurate data at high altitudes, he said, is an essential component of any program to build wind turbines for commercial power.
In addition to the lab, the project partners include Clemson University's Restoration Institute and other entities that comprise the S.C. Consortium for Offshore Wind.
Now that it has been deployed at sea, the team will test and evaluate the SODAR technology's compatibility with ocean conditions.
"We'll leave it out there for at least a year and we'll be analyzing the data as a first step," Nichols said. "Secondly, we will make wind energy forecasts for that area and work with our partners at Coastal Carolina who have a meteorological model they have developed for offshore wind forecasting."
The modeling data, he said, will be used to determine the feasibility of future wind farms.
The Eastern Seaboard has one of the largest untapped supplies of wind energy in the U.S. and estimates indicate South Carolina alone could produce up to 3.5 gigawatts of such power annually.
Nichols thinks commercial power production from offshore winds could become a reality sooner than most people realize.
"In the North Sea and other places in the world, there are already wind turbines," he said. "The technology exists already."
As part of this project, funded by a grant from the South Carolina Energy Office, the partners have also installed small wind turbines at five high schools and the Center for Hydrogen Research in Aiken.
Those turbines are intended to educate the public about wind power.
Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.
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