Energy From Offshore Wind

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThis paper provides an overview of the nascent offshore wind energy industry including a status of the commercial offshore industry and the technologies that will be needed for full market development. It provides a perspective on the status of the critical environmental and regulatory issues for offshore wind and how they are affecting the formation of the U.S. industry. The rationale provided describes why offshore wind has the potential to become a major component of the national electric energy supply. Future projections show this potential could result in over $100 billion of revenue to the offshore industry over the next 30 years in the construction and operation of offshore wind turbines and the infrastructure needed to support them. The paper covers technical issues and design challenges needed to achieve economic competitiveness for near term deployments in shallow water below 30-m depth. It also examines the requirements for future technologies needed to deploy systems in deeper water beyond the current depth limits. Although most studies to date indicate very low impacts to the environment, regulatory and environmental barriers have hindered the first offshore wind projects in the United States. A summary of these issues is given.

Dynamics Modeling and Loads Analysis of an Offshore Floating Wind Turbine

“…In Europe, where vacant land is scarce and vast shallow-water wind resources are available, more than 900 MW of offshore wind energy capacity has been installed in and around the North and Baltic seas [72]. Although offshore wind turbines are not currently in use outside Europe, worldwide interest is growing because the global offshore wind resource is abundant.…”

Validation of INNWIND.EU Scaled Model Tests of a Semisubmersible Floating Wind Turbine

“…To be able to use this potential with respect to financial and commercial aspects new foundation systems for the wind turbines have to be applied. With higher water depths the use of floating structures is more reasonable than fixed bottom structures such as monopiles, tripods and jackets (Musial et al, 2006).…”

“…In order to design wind turbines with high reliabilities for floating offshore turbines there is the need for validated simulation codes to predict the forces on the system structure and their dynamic responses for combined stochastic wave and wind loadings (Musial et al, 2006). Even though several verification test for the simulation tools have been done e.g.…”

Offshore wind-turbine structures: a review

“…One of the immediate challenges for design is the ability to accurately predict the magnitude and distribution of applied environmental loads and the resulting dynamic response of the coupled wind-turbine and support structure under the action of combined stochastic wave and wind loading (Musial and Butterfield, 2006). At present, analysis, design and installation of monopile foundations for wind-turbine structures usually rely on general geotechnical standards, complemented by more specific guidelines and semi-empirical formulas developed by the offshore oil and gas industry (API, 2007;DIN, 2005;DNV, 2011;GL, 2005).…”