BlueFloat, Renantis Ink Exclusivity Agreements For Scottish Floaters
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The BlueFloat Energy and Renantis partnership has signed exclusivity agreements with Crown Estate Scotland to develop its Sinclair and Scaraben innovation projects which will now be part of a phased delivery of the partnership’s Broadshore project
This is the first two paragraphs.
The two 99.5 MW floating offshore wind farms will now be developed as part of a phased delivery of the partnership’s Broadshore project, located 47 kilometres north of Fraserburgh.
Sinclair and Scaraben will explore innovative foundation technologies, associated fabrication works, and mooring systems with a view to maximise opportunities for the Scottish supply chain, driving local investment and job creation, said the partners.
This would seem to be very sensible for manufacturing and project management reasons.
SeaTwirl, Kontiki Winds To Explore Powering Oil & Gas Assets With Floating Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Sweden-headquartered SeaTwirl has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kontiki Winds to identify and discuss the opportunities to electrify oil and gas assets and other offshore applications, with the use of SeaTwirl’s floating wind turbines.
And this is the first paragraph.
Under the MoU, the two companies will explore new opportunities in the market to implement offshore wind into new and existing oil and gas assets and microgrid applications such as the powering of fish farms, desalination plants and/or other small-scale applications that currently are based on fossil fuel electricity generation.
Note.
- The current turbines are only 1 MW.
- They appear to be mounted on a long monopole foundation.
- My mathematical modelling experience suggests to me, that these could be very stable devices.
- I suspect they could be built into specialist equipment like a buoy with a light to mark something.
I suspect that there will be large numbers of applications, especially if the manufacture and installation of Sea Twirl’s turbines is an efficient process.
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.
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.
Three Players Pursuing Floating Offshore Wind Opportunities At Barents Sea Oil Field
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Norwegian oil and gas company Vår Energi has entered into a collaboration with a consortium consisting of Odfjell Oceanwind and Source Galileo to explore opportunities for floating offshore wind through a pilot project at a field located in the Barents Sea off Norway.
The article mentions the Goliat oil field, which is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) northwest of Hammerfest.
This Google Map shows the location of Hammerfest.
Note.
- Hammerfest is marked by the red arrow.
- Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants.
- The furthest North, I’ve been in Europe is to Trondheim, which is in the South-West corner of the map.
- To the East of Hammerfest Norway and Russia have a common border and beyond that is the Russian port of Murmansk.
Many years ago, my first visits to Ipswich Town were courtesy of the Official Receiver for Ipswich; John Richardson, who was my parents’ next door neighbour in Felixstowe.
John was an interesting guy, who during the Second World War had been on the Arctic convoys to Murmansk and Archangel. The Wikipedia entry for Arctic Convoys Of World War Two, gives some details.
His descriptions of the weather in the area were horrendous and it makes me wonder why the Norwegians want to extract oil in those conditions. And now generate wind power.
This is the first sentence of the article.
Vår Energi disclosed the deal on Wednesday, 26 April 2023, explaining that the project, called GoliatVind, was a pilot project to demonstrate new, Norwegian offshore wind technology.
So is it all about new technology?
Gazelle Wind Power Unveils Third Generation Floating Offshore Wind Platform Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this press release from Gazelle Wind Power.
There is a visualisation in the press release and it looks very different.
This is the first paragraph.
Gazelle Wind Power (Gazelle), the developer of a modular floating offshore wind platform, is unveiling third generation technology this week at WindEurope 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company’s enhanced design further refines Gazelle’s solution to address the primary challenges facing the offshore wind industry—such as cost, supply chain bottlenecks, and sustainability—by providing a lightweight, cheaper design that minimizes the impact on fragile marine environments while using existing port infrastructure.
It looks like they’ve set themselves a tough set of objectives.
These are a few points from the press release.
- A one-gigawatt offshore wind farm using Gazelle’s solution would save 71 kt of steel and reduce emissions of approximately 100 kt of carbon dioxide.
- The company’s platform can be quickly and simply installed at project sites because it requires no specialist cranes or vessels.
- The platform’s unique geometry provides reduced draft in port, which means it floats higher in the water enabling the use of shallow ports.
- Through industrial innovation, the platform components can be adjusted to accommodate all forecasted offshore wind turbine sizes, including the current 15MW or greater capacities.
- Our platform can be produced anywhere in the world, supporting job creation through regionalized manufacturing.
When I look back on how offshore oil and gas platforms changed in the North Sea over a couple of decades, I’m not surprised to see this innovative design.
I wish the company the best of luck. But I don’t think they’ll need it!
Norway Has Room For 338 GW Of Offshore Wind, New Analysis Finds
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Norway has the potential to develop up to 338 GW of offshore wind in areas with a low level of conflict, according to a new analysis performed by Multiconsult and commissioned by the industry organisation Norwegian Offshore Wind, Equinor, Source Galileo, Hafslund and Deep Wind Offshore.
These two paragraphs are the main findings of the report.
The report, issued on 14 April, maps 28 areas as suitable for floating wind and 18 areas for fixed-bottom offshore wind, estimating the total potential installed capacity to be 241 GW at 5 MW/km2 and 338 GW at 7 MW/km2.
Of this, floating wind could account for 156 GW and up to 219 GW, while fixed-bottom capacity is between 85 GW and 119 GW.
So how does that figure look for the UK?
Consider.
- The UK has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 773,676 sq. kilometres.
- But if you include overseas territories, the UK’s area is 6,805,586 sq. kilometres and is the fifth largest in the world.
- Norway has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2,385,178 sq. kilometres.
So taking the 338 GW figure for Norway and ignoring overseas territories, we could generate 109.6 GW.
Windeed’s Floater Solution Gets Bureau Veritas Nod
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Bureau Veritas has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to Sweden-based Windeed for its low-weight and low-acceleration floater solution for offshore wind turbines.
These three paragraphs fill in more details.
The AiP is a significant milestone in the development of Windeed’s technology, which could offer competitive prices and lower levelised cost of energy (LCOE) compared to other solutions on the market due to its industrialised manufacturing process, the developer said.
Bureau Veritas provided testing and assessment to ensure the solution is safe, reliable, and ready for deployment.
The approval in principle is a testament to the quality and innovation of the company’s technology.
I have been waiting some months for a new more efficient float for offshore wind turbines and then Gazelle Power Systems and Windeed turn up with designs on the same day.
Pictures of Gazelle’s design are available on their web site, but Windeed’s web site is text only, although it does say this.
Our purpose is to provide superior technology and industrialization of floating offshore wind power, lowering costs and environmental impact, to meet the need of more and clean energy.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see other designs!
Irish Floating Wind Tech Developer Unveils Pilot Project In Portugal
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Dublin-based floating wind technology company Gazelle Wind Power (Gazelle) has partnered with the Portuguese renewable energy developer WAM Horizon to accelerate the development of a pilot project in Aguçadoura, Portugal, which will use Gazelle’s floating wind platform.
And this is the first paragraph.
Within the partnership, WAM will provide Gazelle with strategic advisory to implement the pilot project.
There is also a picture, which does not look like any other float for a wind turbine, that I’ve seen.
Gazelle Wind Power’s home page, has a series of pictures and an explanation of how it works.
The web site claims the technology is Light, Agile and Fast and gives a few details in this paragraph.
Introducing Gazelle’s hybrid attenuated mooring platform, an evolutionary step-change in the design of floating platforms. Lighter, smaller and more agile than current designs, the Gazelle delivers unmatched stability and capacity. Moreover, our design benefits from modularisation, time-tested manufacturing processes, and can easily be assembled at port facilities worldwide.
From my experience of modelling floating structures in the 1970s, I believe that there a lot more permutations and combinations of components, that will work as floats for wind turbines.
Gazelle Wind Power’s design, is one of the first of a new generation of designs.
If anybody comes up with an unusual design and needs someone to criticise or model its floating behaviour, I’d be happy to help.
The Anonymous Widower 