Ireland Awards 3.1 GW Offshore Wind Capacity In First ORESS 1 Auction
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ireland has selected four projects with a combined capacity of nearly 3,100 MW in the first offshore wind auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS 1).
The four wind farms are.
- The 1,300 MW Codling Wind Park owned and developed by a 50/50 joint venture of Fred Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables.
- The 824 MW Dublin Array owned and developed by RWE.
- The 500 MW North Irish Sea Array (NISA), owned and developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Statkraft.
- The 450 MW Sceirde Rocks wind farm owned and developed by Fuinneamh Sceirde Teoranta (FST), a joint venture owned by Corio Generation, a portfolio company of Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, and global infrastructure investor, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Note.
- That makes a total of 3074 MW.
- All wind farms already have web sites.
- Looking at the web sites, it appears all wind farms will have fixed foundations and some seem to be located on convenient sandbanks.
- This is equivalent to over a third of Ireland’s entire electricity consumption this year and over a quarter of projected 2030 electricity demand.
- This article on offshoreWIND.biz, which is entitled Fred. Olsen Seawind And EDF Renewables Win Big Offshore Ireland, gives more details of the first wind farm.
- This article on offshoreWIND.biz, which is entitled 500 MW for Statkraft And CIP In First Irish Offshore Wind Auction, gives more details of the third wind farm.
- Given SSE’s large presence in Ireland, I’m surprised they didn’t obtain a lease.
The auction results appear to have surpassed the expectations of the Irish government.
Electron Beam Welded Foundation To Debut At Dogger Bank In Late 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A collaboration between SSE Renewables, Sif Group, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), and TWI, has resulted in the first-ever electron beam welded section to be incorporated in an offshore wind turbine monopile foundation.
This is the first paragraph.
The resulting can was incorporated into a monopile transition piece in January 2023 and is scheduled to be installed offshore as part of a foundation in the second phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, located more than 130 kilometres off the Northeast coast of England, in late 2023.
And this paragraph details the advantages.
The technology – developed by CVE – has been shown to weld monopiles at least 25 times faster than current methods, whilst using 90 per cent less energy, costing 88 per cent less, and producing 97 per cent less CO2 emissions than SAW methods, the partners said.
Everybody thinks of biotech and electronics, when they think of Cambridge, but this is two Cambridge companies; Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) and The Welding Institute (TWI) innovating at the heaviest end of mechanical engineering.
Note.
- Cambridge Vacuum Engineering has a comprehensive web site.
- The technology is called Ebflow and is described on this web page.
- The Welding Institute has a comprehensive web site.
When I lived near Cambridge, I used to play real tennis at the Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. One of the guys I played against was a cousin of JRR Tolkien and he sold vacuum engineering machines to the world. He had some fascinating tales about dealing with the Russians, where signed copies of his cousin’s books made excellent bribes.
Irish ESB Joins Northland Power On Two Scottish Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
ESB will acquire a 24.5 per cent interest in Northland Power’s ScotWind projects, the fixed-bottom offshore wind farm Spiorad na Mara and the floating wind project Havbredey. Northland will retain 75.5 per cent in each project and continue to lead their development, construction, and operation
This is the first paragraph.
The companies have signed definitive agreements on ESB’s purchase of project stakes, with all commitments made prior to the agreements to remain in place.
Last month, I wrote ESB Invests In Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Tech. so are they in acquisitive mode?
This map from Cross Estate Scotland shows all the ScotWind contracts.
ESB now lrasr the following stakes in ScotWind.
Their details are as follows.
- 14 – Havbredey – Floating – 1500 MW – 25 %
- 16 – Spiorad na Mara – Fixed – 840 MW – 25 %
- 20 – Unnamed – Floating – 500 MW – 100 %
These figures mean they lease about a GW.
I have my thoughts.
Will There Be A Multi-Purpose Interconnector between Ireland And Scotland?
Nothing has been mentioned yet, but could new wind farms om the future to the West of the Hebrides be connected to both the North of Scotland and the North of Ireland by a multi-purpose interconnector?
Ireland To Develop National Industrial Strategy For Offshore Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, has announced plans to develop a National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind which will set out how Ireland can maximise the economic opportunity arising from the production of offshore wind energy
Ireland’s current objectives for offshore wind are.
- To deliver 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
- A further 2 GW of floating wind to be in development by 2030.
- The target for offshore wind could rise to at least 37 GW by 2050.
- There is a target to provide 80 per cent of the country’s electricity to be from renewable sources by 2030.
The government appears to recognise collaborative approach between state and industry is needed.
Nothing is said about co-operation with Northern Ireland or the UK.
This is despite.
- UK and Irish companies like ESB, Flotation Energy, Simply Blue Group and SSE have projects in both countries.
- Irish company; ESB is developing the Malin Sea Wind wind farm in Scottish waters and landing the electricity near Derry City.
- Scottish company; SSE is building biomass power stations in Ireland.
- Some promising waters for wind power are shared between the two countries.
- There are three interconnectors between the two main islands.
I would expect that there could be some multi-purpose interconnectors across the Irish and Celtic Seas.
These would connect windfarms between the islands to both the UK and Ireland. National Grid and TenneT are building the LionLink between England and The Netherlands, which I wrote about in World’s Largest-Of-Its-Kind Power Line To Deliver Clean Power To 1.8m UK Homes And Boost Energy Security.
I very much feel, that there will be a lot of co-operation between the UK and Irish governments as if they work together, the development of Ireland’s offshore wind and that of the West Coast of the UK could be more efficient.
£77 Million Investment For UK Heavy Duty And Commercial Vehicle Projects
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
These are the projects.
Ford to design, develop, and build a fleet of 8 hydrogen fuel cell powered Transit vans, with the latest advances in technology
£8 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £16.3 million.
This research project will design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, with a Ford Dagenham estate facility re-purposed for upfitting of the vehicle. By bringing the manufacturer, vehicle operator and supply chain businesses together, this project aims to establish a business case for the wider rollout of hydrogen Light Commercial Vehicles.
Project partners include: Ocado, BP, Cygnet Texkimp, Cambustion, Viritech.
Note.
- I suspect Ocado will do the road testing.
- BP will probably supply the hydrogen.
- Cygnet Texkimp are a company based in Northwich and is a leading global provider of fibre handling and converting technology. Have they developed a machine for knitting hydrogen fuel tanks?
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Viritech’s web site has a mission statement of Rewiring the DNA of Hydrogen Powertrains.
Ford seem to have assembled a team of all the talents.
Wrightbus to develop a new world-leading zero-emission battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric, multi-axle vehicles
£6.4 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will produce a new, market-leading platform for battery and fuel cell electric driven buses. Whilst demand is growing for zero-emission vehicles, there are currently few options available for heavy, multi-axle vehicles like large buses.
Project partners include: Queens University Belfast, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hutchinson Engineering, Translink.
Note.
- Grayson Thermal Systems are based in Birmingham and specialise in providing HVAC for vehicles and especially zero-carbon ones.
- Hutchinson Engineering are based in Widnes and invest in state-of-the-art machinery and technology to give our customers the most advanced, cost-effective solutions in design, fabrication and manufacturing.
- Translink provides public transport in Northern Ireland.
It looks like Wrightbus have excellent partners.
ULEMCo creating a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell range extender for prototype ambulance, fire engine and road sweepers
£3.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £7.9 million.
This project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for special purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers. The zero-emissions range extender will be based on existing, proven technology from the Toyota Mirai, and demonstrate how zero emissions vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings.
Project partners include: Altair Engineering, Emergency One, Technical Services Ltd, Oxon Fire & Rescue Services
Note.
- ULEMCo are based in the Liverpool City Region and it is very much in Liverpudlian DNA to repurpose something that works. Hence the use of The Toyota technology.
- Altair Engineering is a multinational engineering and technology company.
- Emergency One is a Scottish manufacturer of fire engines and emergency vehicles.
- Technical Services Ltd, who are based in Cleckheaton, supply thermal management systems and solutions.
- Oxon Fire & Rescue Services will obviously be doing the testing.
In Hydrogen-Powered Ambulance Drives Into Glasgow Ahead Of London Trial, I wrote about a prototype hydrogen-powered ambulance, that was built by ULEMCo and industry partners, that was shown at COP26.
Is this project turning the prototype into a system, that can be manufactured in large volumes?
Bramble Energy developing a hydrogen double-deck bus, using innovative, low-cost fuel cell technology
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will demonstrate a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus. This novel product will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles like buses and uses innovative new electronics and energy recovery technologies.
Project partners include: University of Bath, Equipmake, Aeristech
Note.
- Bramble Energy‘s Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell (PCBFC™) is a patent protected, revolutionary design which leverages existing manufacturing routes from the printed circuit board industry to offer a cost-effective, scalable hydrogen fuel cell solution.
- Equipmake are based at Snetterton in Norfolk.
- In Equipmake Hybrid To Battery Powered LT11, I describe Equipmake’s conversion of a New Routemaster to battery operation.
- Aeristech are based in Crawley and have developed a range of award-winning compressors for Tier-1, OEMs and other customers.
- Is the compressor needed to pump a mixture of hydrogen and air through the fuel cell?
I have a feeling, that this could be a very revolutionary design.
BorgWarner developing hydrogen combustion systems for heavy-duty commercial transport
£4.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £9.8 million.
This project aims to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel. Hydrogen is a clean fuel, producing only water when burned. Project Cavendish will develop new fuel and air management systems, so that existing heavy duty diesel technologies can be repurposed to use hydrogen as fuel.
Project partners include: Mahle, Cambustion, Hartridge
Note.
- BorgWarner is a large American automotive supplier.
- Mahle is a large German automotive supplier.
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Since the brand formation in 1930 Hartridge, who are based in Buckingham, has become a world leader in diesel fuel injection test equipment.
- Project Cavendish is obviously named after Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen.
In Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine, I talk about another project involving BorgWarner. Is Project Cavendish a follow-on from the original project or a new one?
Leyland Trucks scaling up the production of electric trucks through innovations in automation and advanced testing
£2.6 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £5.1 million.
By better use of automation and advanced testing, Leyland Trucks aim to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks. A ‘digital twin’ of the Leyland production line will be set up, meaning any changes can be run in simulation before being rolled out physically.
Project partners include: Expert Tooling, HSSMI
Note.
- Leyland Trucks is one of Britain’s leading manufacturing companies. It is PACCAR’s established centre for light and medium duty truck design, development and manufacture. The company is based in Leyland.
- Expert Technologies are specialists in delivering industrial automation solutions. The company is based in Coventry.
- HSSMI is a sustainable manufacturing consultancy.
As I have done a lot of simulation in my time, I’m very much in favour of digital twins.
JLR leading a consortium research project to develop a high-efficiency and highly integrated 800V inverter designed and built in the UK
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.6 million.
This project will explore and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles. As well as developing a best-in-class product, this work will support the growth of a UK supply chain in components for electric vehicles.
Project partners include: University of Bristol, Custom Interconnect Ltd, API Capacitors Ltd
Note.
- JLR is Jaguar Land Rover.
- Custom Interconnect is an advanced electronics manufacturing company, which is based in Andover.
- API Capacitors is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of high quality power capacitors for power electronic applications. The company is based in Great Yarmouth.
I suspect this invertor will have several applications.
Conclusion
The grants seem to have been widely spread around the UK.
US Offshore Wind Pipeline Blows Past 51 GW, Report Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) has released a report on the US offshore wind market, outlining a rapidly growing pipeline of projects across 32 leases totaling 51,377 MW of expected capacity which is enough to power the equivalent of more than 20 million homes.
The American wind market seems to be powering ahead.
If the pattern of offshore oil and gas from the last century, repeats itself, there’s going to be a lot of money made and jobs created.
The report talks of the following.
- 83,000 jobs by 2030.
- $25 billion of economic output.
- Thirty new ships built in domestic shipyards.
Are we geared up for proportionate numbers in the UK?
Seabed Power Grid To Link North Sea Wind Turbines
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A vast power grid on the seabed of the central North Sea is being planned as part of a £20bn project to power oil and gas platforms with green electricity.
Points in the article include.
- There could be more than 400 offshore turbines.
- If they were 15 MW turbines, that would be at least 6 GW.
- The plan could involve 10,000 jobs, many of which could be in the supply chain in Scotland.
- The plan is for three connected large sea areas in the central North Sea covering nearly 400 square miles.
- Infrastructure could be in place by 2028.
- Scotland was among the most investable countries in the world for floating wind farms.
- Partners include experienced companies like NOV, Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Energy, DEME and Worley.
- Nearly a third of the world’s current order pipeline for floating wind is destined for Scottish waters.
In Cerulean Winds Is A Different Type Of Wind Energy Company, I said, the project is privately-funded. and will need no government subsidy .
This article on offshoreWIND.biz is entitled Cerulean North Sea Renewables Grid To Power Oil & Gas Platforms With Floating Wind finishes with this paragraph.
Cerulean has agreed on an approach with its industrial partners early to de-risk the project in the same way other large-scale infrastructure developments are initiated, the company said. In total, the three wind farms could contribute over GBP 12 billion GVA to the UK’s economy.
Do you believe in magic money trees?
The Original Cerulean Press Release
This press release on the Cerulean Wind web site, gives more details.
Read it and you might get some measure of the ambition of the company.
Questions And Thoughts
In Cerulean Winds Is A Different Type Of Wind Energy Company, I answer a few questions at the end of the post, and come to this conclusion.
It looks like Cerulean Winds are a very different energy company.
If you have any more questions, put them in the comments and I’ll answer them, as best as I can in the related post.
Shell Joins VindØ Energy Island Consortium
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Global energy major Shell is joining the VindØ consortium which is aiming to take a leading role in developing and building Denmark’s first energy island.
This paragraph outlines the project.
The island will be able to connect 10 GW of offshore wind to Denmark and other neighboring countries, plus host an innovation zone with potential for large-scale Power-to-X production and energy storage. It would include accommodation and operation and maintenance services from onsite harbour facilities.
It looks spectacular in the visualisation.
Cummins And Accelera Showcase Broadest Portfolio Of Decarbonizing Technologies With An Emphasis On Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Cummins.
This is the first paragraph.
Cummins Inc. and Accelera™ by Cummins, Cummins’ zero-emissions technology brand, will showcase a variety of technologies in their booth at Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (May 2 to 4, Anaheim, California). The line-up emphasizes the role that hydrogen will play as part of Destination Zero, Cummins’ strategy to go further, faster to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality impacts of its products and reach zero emissions by 2050. The company will showcase technologies across the hydrogen value chain, including electrolyzers to produce hydrogen that can power both a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) concept truck and a fuel cell electric powertrain.
The press release says this about their electrolysers for hydrogen production.
The hydrogen ecosystem is underpinned by green hydrogen production. Accelera’s electrolyzer technology is enabling the infrastructure scale-up needed to support hydrogen-powered vehicles.
They also say that they now have a 2.5 MW electrolyser module.
The press release has a section about the X15H Peterbilt Model 579 Concept Truck, which is a conversion of a standard Peterbilt Model 579 truck.
Cummins will reveal a heavy-duty concept truck featuring the X15H hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE). The proof-of-concept installation with ratings up to 500 horsepower (372 kW) features a 700-bar pressure 80 kg high-capacity hydrogen storage system. The H2-ICE conversion highlights the opportunity for heavy-duty truck applications to operate on zero-carbon hydrogen fuel with an operating range of more than 500 miles. The hydrogen conversion work is not expected to compromise truck performance, cargo capacity or payload. The substitution of the diesel engine with the 15-liter hydrogen engine and integration with the existing driveline highlights the ability of H2-ICE to offer a zero-carbon solution for fleets to deploy quickly with limited investment.
This footnote says a bit more about the X15H hydrogen internal combustion engine.
The X15H hydrogen engine with up to 1900 foot-pounds torque is an all-new engine platform featuring cutting-edge technology to enhance power density, reduce friction losses and improve thermal efficiency. As a result, performance is equivalent to that of a similar displacement diesel engine and compatible with the same transmissions, drivelines and cooling packages. A further benefit of the X15H is significantly quieter running than a diesel.
It looks to me, that Cummins will be going for both the new build and replacement market.
Werner Enterprises Signs Letter Of Intent Planning To Secure 500 X15H Engines From Cummins and Transport Enterprise Leasing To Integrate Cummins X15H Hydrogen Engine Into Heavy Duty Trucks show this sales philosophy at work.
The press release also says this about their hydrogen fuel cell engine.
Hydrogen fuel cell engines turn hydrogen stored onboard a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) into electricity to power the electric powertrain. This creates efficient, zero-emissions power for demanding applications with longer ranges and harder duty cycles. On display at ACT Expo is Accelera’s FCE150 Gen 4 fuel cell engine, powered to go the distance with superior performance and reliability and zero tailpipe emissions. It features increased power density, efficiency and durability with ease of system integration. It is available in 150 kW and 300 kW configurations with the flexibility to decarbonize a range of heavy-duty applications.
This looks to be a formidable beast.
After America, The World
It will be interesting to see what plans Cummins have for the rest of the world.
These posts contain some of my thoughts.
- Air Products, Cummins To Accelerate Hydrogen Integration In Fuel Cells Trucks
- Could London’s New Routemaster Buses Be Converted To Hydrogen Power?
- Cummins Fuel Cell Technology Powers Coradia iLint Fleet In Germany
- Daimler Truck North America And Cummins Collaborate To Drive Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks Forward In North America
- Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?
- Electrolyser System To Linde For Green Hydrogen Production In Niagara Falls, New York
- Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine
This must be one of the biggest conversions of a major corporation to zero-carbon thinking.
Fugro To Monitor Offshore Wind Biodiversity By Using eDNA Samples
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Dutch geo-data specialist company Fugro has launched the BeWild project, aimed at measuring biodiversity at offshore wind farms.
I have a feeling that this fishing-for-DNA technique could have lots of uses, including some very unusual ones.
The article is worth a detailed read and Fugro and their partners certainly seem to be doing a full investigation.
These three paragraphs list the partners and the things they will provide or research.
Support will be provided by Wageningen University which will focus on the DNA sequencing methodology of marine eDNA, researching the governance of these new forms of automated data collection to provide guidance on the design principles for the expansion of nature-inclusive wind energy infrastructures.
Additionally, Stichting de Rijke Noordzee will explore how to integrate biodiversity monitoring with regular asset inspection; Mecal – ATS will develop an improved scour protection system with the potential to enhance biodiversity; Seekable will optimise cable burial monitoring solution; and CrossWind will provide access to an operational wind farm for testing and investigations.
The BeWild project is being developed with the Mission-driven Research, Development, and Innovation (MOOI) subsidy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, and implemented by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
It certainly appears very comprehensive.
The Anonymous Widower 