by David Matthews, Head of Strategy, Clarksons Offshore
According to a report by RenewableUK, the global pipeline of floating offshore wind projects has reached a total of 185GW. Leading the offshore wind market, the UK has over 33GW of projects in development. The Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence's report identifies the UK, Japan, France, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Greece, and Italy as the countries most ready to become major players in floating offshore wind technology. Notably, Italy is currently developing several large floating projects off the coasts of Sardinia, Apulia, and Sicily.
While the market for floating offshore wind is expanding, there are challenges to address in order to make these large-scale projects economically viable. The main focus is on the floating foundation, which requires a significantly higher volume of steel compared to fixed foundations. Additionally, transportation from the manufacturing site to the project location, as well as long-term servicing of the wind turbines over their 30-year lifespan, present ongoing concerns. Regular main component exchanges are necessary for all wind turbines operating offshore, and this has been a specific area of concern for floating wind technology.
Recently, a new design was presented at the Floating Wind Days conference in Haugesund, Norway by Ocean Ventus, generating excitement among attendees. The design choices made by Ocean Ventus address the aforementioned challenges and have the potential to unlock the full potential of floating wind and expedite its deployment. The key design features include:
1. Production and automation focus: Drawing from production lessons learned from monopile production, the design incorporates automation techniques to significantly reduce labour hours.
2. Weight and joint reduction: With a 40% reduction in weight and half the number of connections, the Ocean Ventus design is simpler, lighter, and quicker to manufacture in a factory setting.
3. Giga Factory concept: The design is based on a factory capable of producing 50 units per year, meeting market demands efficiently.
4. Long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) solution: Ocean Ventus is developing a solution to exchange major components offshore without the need for towing back to shore and disconnection.
Ocean Ventus has enlisted the support of Clarkson Securities AS and The Marine Advisory Team to secure strategic investors for the design, factory, and O&M vessels. For more information, click here.
