Offshore Wind Energy
Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo)
LEEDCo leading efforts to build, install, and deploy an offshore wind farm on Lake Erie.
The boom in the wind energy industry presents a tremendous opportunity for economic growth in Northern Ohio. Since the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force was established in 2006 by the Commissioners of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, continuous progress has been made in exploring offshore wind. This regional multi-stakeholder volunteer task force brought together resources from across the region and spearheaded a two year feasibility study that confirmed the viability of offshore wind in Lake Erie.
Since the release of the feasibility study, private sector interest in offshore wind increased considerably. To pursue and protect the public’s interests in offshore wind across all of Northern Ohio, the Cleveland Foundation, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Lorain County and NorTech developed and launched the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) in late 2009. Based in Cleveland, LEEDCo is a regional private nonprofit economic development corporation that is leading efforts to build, install, and deploy an offshore wind farm on Lake Erie while spurring economic development in Northern Ohio’s wind energy industry.
LEEDCo is currently pursuing an initial 20-megawatt wind farm located off the shores of Lake Erie, near Cleveland, Ohio, which is targeted for completion in 2012. This will be followed by subsequent projects with a long-term goal of 1,000 megawatts in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie by 2020, at a price competitive with other forms of electricity generation. As a regional private nonprofit economic development corporation, LEEDCo is able to bring together the necessary constituencies, including Ohio counties on the coast of Lake Erie, creating a single point of contact to secure submerged land leases and acquire necessary permits and approvals, which facilitates the development of these projects. LEEDCo engages with communities along the Lake Erie shoreline, from Ashtabula to Toledo, in its efforts to develop a regional offshore wind industry in Northeast Ohio.
LEEDCo recently announced a long-term partnership with GE. Under the new partnership, GE will provide direct-drive wind turbines to LEEDCo’s 20-megawatt offshore wind project. In addition, LEEDCo and GE will create a strategic plan to identify opportunities to make offshore wind energy in the Great Lakes economically viable. The 20-megawatt offshore wind project is a significant step towards making the Great Lakes a major economic engine for Northern Ohio, capitalizing on the region’s skilled workforce and expertise in advanced manufacturing.
For more information, please visit www.leedco.org.
Projects
GE ScanWind Offshore Technology
GE 4.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
