Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ARCHIME3 (An efficient floating structure and installation of offshore large wind turbines.)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2021-12-31
To meet the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, the EC has committed to increase offshore wind capacity from its current level of 19 GW to at least 60 GW in 2030 and 300 GW by 2050. This is 15 times the current installed capacity and represents and exponential growth.
Reaching these targets is challenged by the limitation of the area available using existing Bottom-Fixed technology, that requires shallow waters already occupied. Indeed, available space in shallow water imposes a limit of 112 GW, which is about 1/3 of the 2050 target.
Only new floating platforms can help us fulfil these objectives by enabling the installation of large turbines in deep waters. Floating wind will allow EU countries to exploit new areas of offshore-wind potential in deeper seas further from shore, where the resource is better as the wind blows both more consistently and at higher average speeds.
However, the installation of floating turbines still faces important challenges, being the most important the following:
- Floating wind still must drive costs (LCOE) down by x5.
- Construction of floating platforms require very large port infrastructure, only available in a few ports worldwide.
- Stability, safety and performance are compromised with bigger turbines (>15 MW).
As a solution to all these issues, we have patented disruptive concrete-based floating platform that enables the safest installation of the largest turbines with impressive cost cuts oof up to 50% in CAPEX and 40% in OPEX. Our platform is compatible with concrete caissons, enabling the fast execution of the construction without the need of special port infrastructures. Thanks to this, our solution is, to the best of our knowledge, the best technology today for the installation of the largest turbines (15-20 MW) in an efficient, affordable and safe manner.
The objectives we seek in this project called ARCHIME3, that has received funding from the EIC Accelerator Program are the following:
To demonstrate by calculations and physical model testing that the structure fulfils the industrial standards for > 15 MW turbines.
To certify the design of the platform (get the Approval In Principle)
To build and install a first real scale prototype
To validate the optimal performance of the floating platform in real operational conditions.
Reaching these targets is challenged by the limitation of the area available using existing Bottom-Fixed technology, that requires shallow waters already occupied. Indeed, available space in shallow water imposes a limit of 112 GW, which is about 1/3 of the 2050 target.
Only new floating platforms can help us fulfil these objectives by enabling the installation of large turbines in deep waters. Floating wind will allow EU countries to exploit new areas of offshore-wind potential in deeper seas further from shore, where the resource is better as the wind blows both more consistently and at higher average speeds.
However, the installation of floating turbines still faces important challenges, being the most important the following:
- Floating wind still must drive costs (LCOE) down by x5.
- Construction of floating platforms require very large port infrastructure, only available in a few ports worldwide.
- Stability, safety and performance are compromised with bigger turbines (>15 MW).
As a solution to all these issues, we have patented disruptive concrete-based floating platform that enables the safest installation of the largest turbines with impressive cost cuts oof up to 50% in CAPEX and 40% in OPEX. Our platform is compatible with concrete caissons, enabling the fast execution of the construction without the need of special port infrastructures. Thanks to this, our solution is, to the best of our knowledge, the best technology today for the installation of the largest turbines (15-20 MW) in an efficient, affordable and safe manner.
The objectives we seek in this project called ARCHIME3, that has received funding from the EIC Accelerator Program are the following:
To demonstrate by calculations and physical model testing that the structure fulfils the industrial standards for > 15 MW turbines.
To certify the design of the platform (get the Approval In Principle)
To build and install a first real scale prototype
To validate the optimal performance of the floating platform in real operational conditions.
During the first period of this project (period covering from 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021), we have performed all the engineering work and calculations needed to demonstrate that our platform fulfils the standards for a 15 MW turbine regarding safety aspects for wind turbines, wind turbines design, marine operations and warranty and civil concrete structures design and construction. The studies performed have been the following:
1.Desinb basis studies
2. Seakeeping studies
3. CDF studies
4. Hydrodynamic loads studies
5. Stability studies
6. Towline pull required & bollard pull analysis
7. Mooring design
8. Mooring studies
9. Turbine, tower, platform studies
11. Functional requirements
12. Design loads studies
13. Structural calculations
Besides, we have also performed an extensive testing camping with a physical model to demonstrate that the results of the in-silico studies (numerical modelling) correlate with the behavior of the platform when tested in a simulated environment (specialized water tanks that resemble the sea conditions).
1.Desinb basis studies
2. Seakeeping studies
3. CDF studies
4. Hydrodynamic loads studies
5. Stability studies
6. Towline pull required & bollard pull analysis
7. Mooring design
8. Mooring studies
9. Turbine, tower, platform studies
11. Functional requirements
12. Design loads studies
13. Structural calculations
Besides, we have also performed an extensive testing camping with a physical model to demonstrate that the results of the in-silico studies (numerical modelling) correlate with the behavior of the platform when tested in a simulated environment (specialized water tanks that resemble the sea conditions).
We are witnessing the beginning of a new era in which our world will be power sustainably and wind energy is expected to become our number one source of power generation. Floating wind is the only way this can happen and as such, it is projected to be a critical component of the new energy mix. However, current floating technologies are not cost-effective and are take a long time to fabricate, directly impacting the levelized cost of energy and imposing a limit to the massive deployment.
We have patented a new concrete-based platform for the installation of floating wind turbines that offers outstanding advantages Vs competing technologies:
1) A dramatic reduction of costs in construction of a floating wind farm.
2) The possibility to complete the installation of several MWs in a matter of a few months.
3) A significant reduction of operation & maintenance costs, with an extended lifetime
4) A superior hydrodynamic performance, meaning an extraordinary safety and the highest possible efficiency in power generation.
5) Lower Levelized Cost of Energy.
Besides, our platform is the best-prepared technology for the installation of the next generation of mega turbines (>15 MW) in an efficient, affordable and safe manner.
We have patented a new concrete-based platform for the installation of floating wind turbines that offers outstanding advantages Vs competing technologies:
1) A dramatic reduction of costs in construction of a floating wind farm.
2) The possibility to complete the installation of several MWs in a matter of a few months.
3) A significant reduction of operation & maintenance costs, with an extended lifetime
4) A superior hydrodynamic performance, meaning an extraordinary safety and the highest possible efficiency in power generation.
5) Lower Levelized Cost of Energy.
Besides, our platform is the best-prepared technology for the installation of the next generation of mega turbines (>15 MW) in an efficient, affordable and safe manner.