Recent Developments in the Offshore Wind Energy Space

 

Wind energy is playing a crucial role in decarbonizing energy systems globally. This is mainly because wind energy is clean and renewable. Therefore, every possible effort is being made to develop and install energy systems that make use of wind energy to produce electricity in abundance. Offshore wind energy, which was first deployed in Denmark in 1991, is being used by several nations worldwide now to make use of the energy of the strong and consistent winds that blow over the oceans.

The offshore wind energy industry is witnessing rapid growth in recent years. It first began growing exponentially in the 2000s, doubling the total capacity every two to four years. Driving the market are the factors such as an increase in demand for renewable sources of energy, electricity consumption, and efficient and cost-effective power generation techniques, increasing R&D in cheaper products, an increase in investments by governments. The market is estimated to reach $11,334 thousand by 2023 from $2,727 thousand in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 19.4% from 2017 to 2023, according to the research firm Allied Market Research.

Companies in the space are coming up with new innovations. For instance, floating wind farms are becoming popular now. The first floating wind farm project, ‘Hywind’ now runs successfully in the UK. In February ’19, the Paris office of LOC Renewables, a part of LOC Group, the leading marine and engineering consulting company, saw the launch of France’s first offshore wind turbine, which is also the country’s first full-scale floating wind turbine. In January ’19, Siemens Gamesa, the wind energy company based in Spain, launched its 10-Megawatt offshore wind turbine. In February ’19, Ørsted A/S, a power company based in Denmark, came up with a digital solution for cable layout at offshore wind farms. Ingka Group, a holding company based in Leiden, acquired a 25 percent stake in Germany’s Veja Mate offshore wind farm in February ’19.

Floatgen Project – A Success Story of France

The Floatgen Demonstrator wind power project launched is France’s first offshore farm as well as its first full-scale floating wind turbine. Led by Ideol and six other European partners namely Centrale Nantes, Bouygues Travaux Publics, University of Stuttgart, RSK, Zabala, Fraunhofer, the project is developed with the aim of showing the technical and economic feasibility of the floating wind turbine system. This paves the way for future developments with reduced costs of electricity generation. The design of the system features a concrete floater moored by six nylon mooring lines, which caused some issues initially. The mooring lines needed to be stretched before connection and specialized marine procedures and equipment were needed for this. To cater to this issue, LOC’s help was sought for choosing the required equipment and methods. LOC assisted with the provision of services such as the construction of concrete floater, integration of turbine component integration, hook-up of the mooring line, and the launch. For this, the company leveraged their marine engineering expertise and collaborated with companies involved in coastal work and shore construction to keep the possibility of risks as low as possible and ensure successful installation of Floatgen.

Siemens Gamesa Unveils Offshore Wind Turbine

The first 10+ MW offshore wind turbine called the SG 10.0-193 DD launched by Siemens Gamesa is developed with proven technology for generating maximum energy at all wind speeds. The 10-megawatt system is said to deliver up to 30% more annual energy production (AEP) than its predecessor. Featuring a rotor diameter of 193 meters and blades measuring 94 meters, the innovation integrates knowledge from five generations of proven direct drive technology in one 10 MW turbine. It enables the reuse of most components from previous offshore wind turbines developed by the company.

Ørsted Introduces a Digital Solution for their Offshore Wind Farms

The FICO Xpress Optimization leveraged by Ørsted to create the new digital tool called OptiArray for designing a vital part of their wind farms has allowed the company to achieve significant savings while reducing development time, reducing the cost of electricity, and enhancing its ability to gauge various scenarios. The tool was built to optimally design the cable layout connecting the turbines to the substations. Sid Dash, research director at Chartis Research, said, “What impressed me about the Ørsted case is its development of complex models, given the nature of the optimization problem. Innovations like this will help to make renewables a bigger piece of the global energy supply picture.”

Ingka Group Bought 25% Stake in Germany’s Offshore Wind Farm

Ingka Group purchased a 25% stake in the Veja Mate offshore wind farm in the German North Sea. The company is a part of a consortium which acquired 80% stake in Veja Mate Offshore Project GmbH, the owner of the wind farm. According to Ingka, the acquisition allows them to move towards their 2020 target about renewable energy production exceeding their energy consumption. Krister Mattsson, Head of Ingka Investments, Ingka Group, said, “It supports our sustainability targets, where renewable energy and energy independence play an important role. Investing in wind farms is part of our activities to support the financial strength of the company and contributes to our climate positive ambition.”

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