Chelsea Drenick, P.E., a civil engineer for MMI Engineering – part of the Geosyntec family of companies – will present a paper on the selection of viable wind farm sites during the 45th Annual Offshore Technology Conference in Houston on May 8, 2014.
The paper offers a case study comparing three offshore wind farm sites based on their potential for energy and revenue generation. Ms. Drenick performed multi-year energy time history analyses of potential wind farms off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States to determine the energy generation and revenue potential of each site based on local winds and energy pricing.
Her study results indicate that, by using a planning level analysis procedure, wind farm designers and operators can make decisions based upon sound data when selecting the most viable offshore wind project sites.
Ms. Drenick joined MMI’s Oakland office in 2012. She specializes in structural engineering and mechanics as well as finite element modeling and non-linear dynamic time history analysis. She also developed upgrades for an MMI software tool, WEP-View, which calculates the energy generation of a wind farm. This tool is designed to assist developers in understanding the value of a potential offshore wind farm.
The Offshore Technology Conference is the world’s largest event addressing the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. The event brings together more than 100,000 industry leaders and professionals from around the world to participate in technical sessions, workshops, and networking events. Practitioners from MMI Engineering will be exhibiting in Booth 2641-G throughout this year’s conference.
Press release, April 28, 2014