The US should look at ways to harmonise its electrical safety standards with Europe to allow for safer electric systems for the former’s offshore wind facilities, according to a new report.
The Electrical Safety Standards Harmonization report was published by US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with the Business Network for Offshore Wind.
It provides recommended solutions to harmonise European and US standards and was the result of a project sponsored by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).
The report included findings from a workshop held in February 2020 that was hosted by NREL laying the groundwork for the report.
It aims to broaden the knowledge base by developing and documenting a publicly available ‘record of expert opinion’ for application of relevant electrical safety standards in domestic offshore wind installations.
Business Network for Offshore Wind president Liz Burdock said: “We are proud to support the establishment of electrical safety standards for US offshore wind projects.
“We commend the efforts of the lead organisations – NREL, BOEM, and BSEE – and all the contributors and industry representatives invested into discussing, synthesising, and writing this consensus-based report.
“We could not move the industry forward without this work – it is absolutely critical.”
NREL principal engineer and offshore wind lead Walter Musial said: “To date, there has not been a comprehensive effort to compare US electrical standards to European electrical standards.
“Nevertheless, the BOEM/BSEE have the responsibility of addressing these differences as part of a safe and efficient project approval process.
“The primary goal of this report is to provide near-term reference to help inform project design and approvals, and to help facilitate the development of more comprehensive US industry recommended practices under the AWEA Wind Technical Standards subcommittee.”