The Carbon Trust has launched the second stage of a joint-industry initiative examining challenges in the development of floating offshore wind farms up to 1GW in size.
A series of studies will be conducted including an investigation into the impact of larger turbines on the size of floating foundations, and another into offshore heavy lifting requirements during installation and maintenance.
Ramboll will deliver the first study using 6MW, 10MW and 15MW turbines as a baseline to evaluate the potential savings from adopting larger next generation machines.
Turbine manufacturers will also be engaged to assess the design requirements for hardware on floating foundations.
Seaway Heavy Lifting (SHL) will conduct the second set of research, aiming to identify alternative installation methods that may be required for floating wind deployed in deeper waters.
A panel of heavy lift contractors will work alongside SHL to investigate the feasibility and technology needs, including floating-to-floating lifts and mobile solutions, such as climbing cranes.
The Floating Wind Joint Industry Partnership (JIP) is led by the Carbon Trust and backed by the Scottish government and 12 industry partners – EnBW, Engie, Eolfi, Eon, Iberdrola, Innogy, Kyuden Mirai, Orsted, Shell, Statoil, Vattenfall and WPD Offshore.
Carbon Trust manager Rhodri James said: “We are looking forward to engaging and collaborating with the wider industry to identify promising solutions in the market.”
Image: Hywind Scotland floating offshore wind farm in Scotland (Statoil)
Trust leads big floater probe
By EBS