Offshore wind could be game-changer in energy transition

/ Renewables / Monday, 14 March 2022 08:54

With the push towards renewables as a viable energy source, wind energy is gaining attention across the globe for its capacity to generate electricity. Today, electricity provides about 20% of the world’s energy demand. This has to rise to 50% by 2050 for countries who achieved their climate commitments, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as electrification will be a decisive answer for net-zero.

Interestingly, floating wind turbines are slowly but surely becoming a key part of harnessing the wind energy. As we all know that the force of the wind is much stronger in the ocean compared to the land. Installing fixed structures in the deep ocean bed is a massive and complex operation and the floating structures are the answers to this infrastructure dilemma. Wind turbines can now be installed on these floating platforms, which are anchored to the seabed by means of flexible anchors, chains or steel cables.

Since they can be deployed in deeper offshore areas where there is higher wind power, these turbines have the capacity to provide clean, inexhaustible and pollution free energy from which our planet can benefit immensely.

Summarizing the prospects for growth in the floating offshore wind sector, Clarksons Research, the data and analytics arm of Clarksons, has released onto its Renewables Intelligence Network (RIN) platform a new briefing examining capacity trends, the maritime supply chain and key projects in the industry.

Commenting on the findings, Steve Gordon, managing director of Clarksons Research says that the ‘floating wind’ is only a small part of the offshore wind industry today, however, strong growth is expected from the middle of the 2020s as the sector reaches commercialisation and estimates that 96 wind farms, 14.5 GW, 1,300 turbines could be active by 2030. Currently, only 10 projects of 124 MW are active, with further 8 projects of 165 MW under construction.

He also points out that floating wind is likely to open up new regional markets, where development has so far been unfeasible. Countries with significant numbers of floating wind projects already proposed include the UK (31.1 GW), Australia (13.8 GW) and the US (10.7 GW). Over 150 potential floating offshore wind projects (totalling over 100 GW) have been mooted by developers in 21 countries/regions, with 37 of these projects having nameplate capacities >1 GW.

As the floating sector moves towards commercialisation, the industry has proposed a wide variety of foundation designs (at least 12 so far). Semi-sub foundations are most common in projects proposed to date (over 1,200 mooted, compared to the combined ~350 across Spar, barge and TLP turbines solutions).

Leading developers of floating wind to date include Equinor (2 farms, 32 MW active, with 1 farm / 88 MW under development), Cobra (2 farms, 50 MW active), Ocean Winds (1 farm, 30 MW active)  and Windplus (1 farm, 25 MW active). In terms of potential capacity, leading developers include BlueFloat (8.5 GW), Hexicon (7.7 GW), Oceanex (7.4 GW), Aqua Ventus (5.1 GW) and Scottish Power (5.0 GW). Contractors involved in turbine installation to date have included DOF Subsea (11 turbines under development), Saipem (5 turbines installed), Bourbon (5) and Boskalis (5).

The Renewables Intelligence Network (RIN) data shows that the broader offshore wind industry continues its exciting growth phase and forecasts offshore wind will play a vital role in energy transition and may provide between 6% and 9% of global energy supply by 2050, noting that it only provides 0.3% today.

For regions such as the Middle East, which is blessed with natural resources along with abundant renewable resources, the energy transition could be an economic gift. Consequently, Dubai has identified an area in Hatta to develop the UAE’s first wind farm, which is expected to have a capacity of 28MW. The site has been selected following wind studies and field visits, with actual wind speed currently being measured for a full year using a 150m tower.

“The project to generate electricity using wind power is part of our efforts to diversify clean and renewable energy sources in Dubai. These include photovoltaic solar panels technology, concentrated solar power (CSP), green hydrogen production using renewable energy, and pumped-storage technology in the hydroelectric power station in Hatta,” said Saeed Mohammed Al-Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai electricity and water authority (DEWA).

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