In a huge win for everyone interested in saving Lake Erie itself from industrial development, the LEEDCO Icebreaker wind turbine project proposed for the waters off of Cleveland, Ohio has finally been cancelled. The Department of Energy has begun the process of revoking the remaining portion of the $50 million it had granted the project and without government backing, like so many other renewable projects, it has shut down.
This demonstration project consisted of only six wind turbines with the intention of proving the viability of placing wind turbines in a lake that often developed high winds and waves plus ice during the winter months. What was rarely mentioned was if the project had worked to some degree, their plans were to construct as many as 1500 or more wind turbines in the lake along with all of the supporting infrastructure necessary to carry electricity to shore and the daunting task of maintaining and repairing the turbines in all weather conditions.
Removing the government funding and having a series of other backers pull out while the economic conditions deteriorated left Icebreaker broken. Several articles and persons involved in the project are using words like temporary or put on hold to describe the shutdown, but in reality, this seems to be the end of it.
Our previous County Executive, Kathy Dahlkemper, was a huge supporter of this project which was odd because she was also a supporter of making the waters off of Erie County a marine sanctuary and too, wanted to allow wind turbines in those same waters.
Many of us in North East who worked hard to keep the massive wind turbine project proposed here from happening, are pleased to see the Icebreaker project stopped. These projects make no sense on any level.
As I’ve often said elsewhere, without government subsidies to the wind energy business, there is no wind energy business.
U.S Department of Energy – History of Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects
In October 2023, LEEDCo sent DOE a request for mutual termination of the award, and is therefore not qualified to move into the next budget period or receive additional funds from DOE for this project.
U.S Department of Energy – EA-2045: Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation’s Project Icebreaker
From the above link: “October 2023 – The U.S. Department of Energy is no longer funding this project. “
The above two links should address the “temporary” or “put on hold” qualifiers used by some Icebreaker supporters.
LaVern Skarzenski says
I do wonder what do all of you who are so much against, windmills and solar collectors propose we do? Just keep on dumping all the crap from fossil fuels into the sky? Why do you all think that windmills and solar collectors are so much worse that the sources we use now. I suppose all you still use horse and buggies, or kerosene lamps?
Paul Crowe says
To begin, you might want to read my earlier post here. I explain capacity factor and power density. It’s why renewables can’t replace our conventional power plants. They’re intermittent, unreliable and they don’t scale.
If you’re worried about “dumping … crap from fossil fuels into the sky,” a great alternative is nuclear, especially the new small modular nuclear plants. Small size, lots of electricity, zero emissions. The government process for approving those plants is making it extremely difficult to deploy them. In the meantime, more gas plants which are cleaner than coal and to which many coal plants are already being converted are a great way forward.
No, that would be the Amish. … but it might be everyone if we have to depend on renewables for electricity.
Chris says
This cannot be verified and I cannot give out the name of this person but in a conversation with someone that works for NY electric company told me that windmills in NY are not even hooked to the grid. Sounds far fetched for me but corruption is being brought in the light more and more now days.
Paul Crowe says
I believe your source is mistaken. Here’s the real-time energy dashboard for New York with the various sources shown by percentage