World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) has launched a new committee to help accelerate global deployment of commercial-scale floating wind farms.
The WFO Floating Offshore Wind Committee will be chaired by floating offshore wind “industry expert” Bruno Geschier (pictured), from Ideol.
Clement Weber from renewables advisory Green Giraffe will serve as vice-chairman.
According to the WFO the international initiative aims to “duplicate – if not outperform – the installed capacity and cost competitiveness achieved with bottom-fixed offshore wind today”.
The Floating Offshore Wind Committee brings together “international offshore wind industry leaders” with “internationally recognised” floating wind specialists, representing all aspects of the offshore wind value chain.
WFO members Innogy and Northland Power have already confirmed they will participate in the new initiative.
As an industry-driven initiative the Floating Offshore Wind Committee has four key aims.
The first is education, advocacy and policymaking, the second is to enable cost reductions and commercial-scale deployment.
The third objective is to promote the highest health and safety standards and the fourth is to engage with environmental stakeholders and maritime space users.
Geschier, who is Ideol’s chief sales and marketing officer, is an “internationally recognised and respected” floating offshore wind expert and advocate, according to the WFO.
He initiated and was former chair of WindEurope’s Floating Wind Work Group.
The WFO stated: “Geschier is fully committed to pursue his international advocacy work in favour of an accelerated implementation of floating offshore wind in the global renewable energy mix and looks forward to welcoming key industry players to the committee to join him in his efforts.”
Weber coordinates Green Giraffe’s efforts in floating offshore wind and has led several transactions in floating as well as bottom-fixed offshore wind, both on the equity and debt side.
Recently, Clement closed several development funding transactions in floating offshore wind in California (700MW, 2018), Hawaii (500MW, 2018) and South Korea (500MW, 2019).