AEC2016

Dr Jeffrey Freedman

Research Associate at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC)

University at Albany




Jeff Freedman is currently a Research Associate at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) in Albany, NY. Prior to joining the faculty at ASRC, he was Lead Research Scientist at AWS Truepower, a renewable energy consulting firm. Before earning his Ph.D in Atmospheric Sciences from the University at Albany, State University of New York, Dr. Freedman was an Associate Counsel at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Current research includes two New York State Energy Research and Development Authority projects to 1) study the effects of climate change on the distribution of renewable energy resources in New York State, and 2) the development of an extreme winds forecast tool for utilities. Dr. Freedman also led a two-year Department of Energy/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sponsored study to demonstrate the value of additional atmospheric observations and model enhancements on short-term wind energy production forecasts.

New York State is aggressively integrating greater amounts of renewable energy into the power grid. Climate change, however, will likely affect current generation and the future distribution of renewable energy resources, including offshore wind, on a spectrum of temporal (diurnal to decadal) and spatial (local to regional) scales. Any redistribution of renewable energy potential may be disruptive to NY's current plans, policies, and goals such as the Reforming the Energy Vision.

A recent New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) study found that in-state renewable energy generation could more than quadruple between 2010 and 2030 using current technologies, with more than 10% of the state's total energy supply potentially coming from onshore and offshore wind. These estimates, however, do not take into account a changing climate that may alter the regional and local patterns and strengths of the meteorological drivers of wind power (e.g., the sea breeze).

With goals of generating 50% of energy from renewable resources by 2030, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, it is crucial that a high-resolution assessment of the potential influence of climate change on NY's integrated renewable energy resource, particularly offshore wind, is available for planning, policy, and development purposes. This presentation will highlight preliminary results and overall goals of an ongoing project sponsored by NYSERDA to ascertain, through historical observations and dynamic downscaling of Global Climate Models, how climate change may influence the distribution of the offshore wind resource.

Presentation: Climate Change and Offshore Wind in New York