The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has launched a floating offshore wind task force with the aim of developing a common view to address barriers to growth and provide best practices.
The task force will be chaired by industry pioneer Henrik Stiesdal (pictured).
Former deputy chief executive of RenewableUK Maf Smith will be vice chair.
The task force’s first actions include defining the priority markets for offshore wind, and engage with the relevant local associations, policymakers and NGOs in the fishing, marine mammals and ports sectors through conferences, seminars and workshops to promote and educate stakeholders about the floating offshore sector and to share best practices.
As of the end of 2019, there was 65.7MW of floating offshore wind capacity installed globally.
GWEC Market Intelligence forecasts 6.2GW of floating offshore wind is likely to be built by 2030 given the current project pipeline.
This forecast could be increased to up to 19GW if cost reduction is accelerated.
Stiesdal said: “We are at a turning point for floating offshore wind, with rapid acceleration taking place in markets around the world.
“To ensure the success of the industry and achieve the cost reduction needed to ramp up deployment of the technology, we need to see coordination amongst the leading market players and share our experiences in the different pioneer markets emerging globally.
“This Task Force will be an important forum to facilitate this exchange and establish a common voice to provide best practices for the industry when entering new markets to expedite the immense growth potential of this important technology.”
GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell added: “Offshore wind will be a key driver of the energy transition, with some industry stakeholders calling for over 1400GW of offshore wind capacity installed by 2050.
To reach this goal, expediting the development of floating offshore wind is crucial to deploy turbines in deeper waters and unlock up to ten times more offshore wind resource than is possible with fixed-bottom turbines alone.
“We are thrilled to have Henrik Stiesdal chairing this important Task Force as a pioneer of the floating offshore sector, and are confident that through his insights and the experience of the other Task Force members, we will be able to address the most urgent barriers for growth of the sector and spur a new era of offshore wind.”
Task force members include Equinor, GE Renewable Energy, Iberdrola, Ideol, the Japanese Wind Power Association, MHI Vestas, Orsted, Principle Power, RenewableUK, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Shell, Stiesdal, WPD and the World Bank Group.