Photo above: Stony Brook’s Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center
From: Stony Brook University Receives $5M to Support Offshore Wind Research on Stony Brook University News, April 26, 2021.
Joint venture partners Ørsted and Eversource — developers of New York’s offshore wind farm, Sunrise Wind — have launched a research partnership with Stony Brook University. The $5M commitment funded by the project will underwrite research initiatives specific to the advancement of offshore wind through Stony Brook’s Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) in connection with the Sunrise Wind Project. Researchers at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences are involved in the project.
The AERTC, a New York State Center of Excellence in Energy, is a true partnership of academic institutions, research institutions, energy providers and industrial corporations. The Center’s mission is to promote innovative energy research, education, and technology deployment with a focus on efficiency, conservation, renewable energy and nanotechnology applications for new sources of energy.
The funds will support multiple research projects to improve and advance offshore wind energy development and grid integration. The AERTC will focus on interdisciplinary research activities related to:
- Engineering, construction and logistics for offshore wind power generation;
- Technological innovations to reduce costs and improve efficiencies of offshore wind;
- Wind resource assessment and energy production forecasting;
- Integrating intermittent renewable energy sources with utility grids; and
- Coordinating the development of offshore wind resources with other commercial offshore uses, particularly the fishing industry.
“We are very excited by the possibilities this partnership with Ørsted and Eversource presents,” said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis. “Since opening AERTC in 2010, Stony Brook has been effectively advancing renewable energy research and training students who will become the next generation of energy experts. With this research partnership and collaboration, we are poised to make a real impact on the future production and efficiency of offshore wind energy.”
“The offshore wind industry and the prospect of a clean energy future are two of the most exciting developments happening right now in the United States,” said Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind CEO David Hardy. “Stony Brook University has long been positioning itself to be an academic and research epicenter of this green movement. The goal of this partnership is to leverage the academic power of this world-class research institution and apply it to our projects.”
“We’re fortunate to partner with such an esteemed research institution as Stony Brook University and its Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center to conduct important research for our offshore wind projects,” said Eversource Vice President of Offshore Wind Business Development Mike Ausere. “The researchers at AERTC have demonstrated great leadership in advancing new renewable energy technology innovations and we look forward to collaborating with them to bring offshore wind to the state of New York.”
“We are delighted that the AERTC at Stony Brook is recognized by Ørsted and Eversource to be a leader in advancing New York State’s Clean energy goals,” said Robert Catell, Chairman of the AERTC Advisory Board at Stony Brook University. “As the New York State Center of Excellence in Energy, it is the ideal location to conduct research to advance offshore wind technology and support economic development and workforce training. Today’s commitment recognizes the AERTC’s proven expertise in offshore wind research and development, demonstrated particularly through its leadership in helping to launch the National offshore wind R&D Consortium.
“Stony Brook University is at the frontier of conducting research that will dramatically reduce the cost of offshore wind energy and help integrate the electricity produced by offshore wind farms into our power grid,” said Richard Reeder, Vice President for Research at Stony Brook University. “Partnerships with industry leaders like Ørsted and Eversource are critical for translating our cutting-edge research into practical solutions that will augment our capacity for innovation and train the workforce of the future, while helping New York State meet its bold clean energy goals.”
“The research and development activities to be conducted by Ørsted/Eversource and Stony Brook University’s Advanced Energy and Research Technology Center will ultimately help drive down the costs of offshore wind and provide further insight into integrating this renewable resource onto the electric grid,” said Doreen Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA. “These partnerships are absolutely critical to ensuring offshore wind is being developed with a focus on the most innovative and efficient technologies available to quickly get it to scale and support the mounting demand for clean energy not only in New York but across the nation.”
“Suffolk County is fully committed to undertaking the research and development necessary to transform an aging infrastructure into a clean energy economy that will serve as a national model,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “The synergy between Stony Brook University and Ørsted and Eversource is essential to moving our region forward and expediting the critical progression to provide us with a safe and reliable future.”
“Long Island is home to one of the best renewable energy research institutions in our nation in Stony Brook University, and its work is key to New York’s leadership in the green economy,” said State Senator Todd Kaminsky, Chair of the New York State Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. “This partnership between the University, Ørsted and Eversource is integral to propelling us into a future powered by clean energy, while bringing offshore wind and good jobs to our Island.”
“By following through on earlier promises to provide such funding, the Ørsted Corporation is proving to be both a good corporate citizen and a reliable partner in the necessary quest to replace Long Island’s fossil fuel energy sources with clean, renewable wind power,” said New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright. “Supporting Stony Brook’s research and education mission by committing to $5 million in grants for the marine, atmospheric and environmental engineering sciences is a wise investment into a better tomorrow for all of us.”
Dr. Mike Frisk, and co-PIs Dr. Bob Cerrato, Dr. Brad Peterson, Dr. Matt Sclafani (SoMAS Adjunct), and Dr. Keith Dunton (Monmouth) are involved in Task 1, “Engineering, construction and logistics for offshore wind power generation” for a project running from March 16, 2021 through March 16, 2022. The project was awarded $1,113,957 of the total $4,148,628.
The objectives of Task 1 include:
(1) Implant individual teleost and elasmobranch species with acoustic positioning tags
(2) Deploy an acoustic array at SFEC that builds on existing arrays deployed at Rockaway, Jones Beach, Fire Island, and Montauk, and is designed to capture both broad-scale migratory behavior and local behavior in the vicinity of the SFEC
(3) Evaluate effects of EMFs on behavior and movement on targeted species pre-, during and post-construction
(4) Estimate movement metrics including the following: acceleration, depth, 2-d and 3-d position and residency for telemetered individuals
(5) Maintain the SFEC array and collect data on the individuals tagged by SBU and partnering organizations along the east coast.
Related Press
Smart Energy Decisions: Stony Brook University Receives $5 Million for Offshore Wind Research
A joint partnership with developers of New York’s Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm, Ørsted, and Eversource will include a commitment of $5 million to Stony Brook University’s research and advancement of offshore wind technology through the university’s Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC).
