This allows the structure to have a smaller physical footprint and potentially be cheaper than competing models. Like the semi-submersible model, this is suitable for shallower waters, and Ideol touts the fact that its concrete fabrication comes in handy from a local content perspective.įinally, a concept called the tension-leg platform relies on a taut mooring system to provide stability. Critics note that the large size of the structures could restrict maneuverability in ports.Ī third design, championed by the French foundation maker Ideol, is a square barge that contains a damping pool to maintain turbine stability. Other developers, such as Principle Power and Hexicon, favor a semi-submersible platform design that relies on buoyancy for stability and is suitable for shallower drafts. The spar buoy is assembled in sections and extends down to around 260 feet beneath the sea surface, making it appropriate for water depths of between roughly 310 and 390 feet. Using its experience in the oil and gas industry, Equinor (formerly Statoil) has based its pioneering Hywind floating platform on a spar buoy design that relies on gravity for stability. Four basic designs are leading the market today. That still leaves plenty of room for imagination: Every developer has a different concept and a compelling argument for why it is the best. In practice, though, floating foundation developers have focused on designs that are going to be cheap to build and easy to work with from the perspective of operations and maintenance. Provided the water underneath the turbine is deep enough, the shape of the foundation may not matter much. To keep turbines upright, floating foundations rely on the iceberg principle: Most of the mass is underwater.Īt Hywind Scotland, the world’s only commercial floating wind farm today, each Siemens SWT-6.0-154 turbine has a towerhead mass of around 350 tons and sits on a foundation with roughly 6,060 tons of solid ballast and a displacement of some 13,230 tons. The key difference between floating and fixed-foundation offshore wind is that the latter is limited to water depths of up to around 165 feet. Today’s floating wind designs envision using standard offshore turbines, export cables and balance-of-plant materials.
0 kommentar(er)
