Offshore Wind Developer Gets DNV Concept Certification for Floating Foundation Design
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
BayWa r.e. has received concept certification from DNV for its BayFloat floating wind semi-submersible concrete substructure and mooring system design. The design was validated using the 22 MW generic reference turbine “IEA-22-280-RWT”
These three introductory paragraphs give a few more details.
The certification process was conducted in accordance with DNV-SE-0422:2021-09 “Certification of floating wind turbines” scheme, including DNV-ST-0119:2021-06 “Floating wind turbine structures” as the governing standard, BayWa r.e. says.
The assessment concluded that the BayFloat concrete floating substructure, including the mooring system design, is feasible for further development and qualifies for DNV concept-level certification.
BayWa r.e. collaborated with the engineering company Ramboll on the design and certification process, with Ramboll providing design services, expert insights and engineering advice.
Note.
- Certification must be a good thing.
- If you are unfamiliar with DNV, then their Wikipedia entry, is a good place to start.
- As I was doing the calculations for a floating oil platform in the 1970s, I don’t see why floating wind turbines won’t work!
- Especially, as floating wind turbines, seem to have a higher capacity factor than fixed.
- Concrete also worked for oil and gas platforms, so why won’t it work for wind?
In fact I quite like this design.
These are some other thoughts and information.
The Buchan Wind Farm
Baywa r.e. are also developing the 960MW Buchan floating wind farm about 75 km North-East of Fraserburgh.
The Buchan Wind Farm web site says this about the technology to be used.
The project has identified BW Ideol’s patented Damping Pool® floating substructure as its preferred foundation option, with BW Ideol working actively to establish a manufacturing centre at the Ardersier Energy Transition Facility being developed at the former oil and gas fabrication yard on the Moray Firth.
Perhaps, Baywa r.e. are seeing if they can do better.
The Original Article
The original article also links to several designs of floating wind float design, so it is well worth a full read.
But then, each have their advantages in materials used, ease of construction, methods of assembly, ease of tow-out and erection and most importantly; cost!
Wind Farms Generate Record Power On Cold November Evening
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Turbines produced record high of 22.7 gigawatts of electricity at 7.30pm on Tuesday last week, accounting for 55 per cent of Britain’s electricity mix.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Britain’s wind farms generated a record 22.7 gigawatts of electricity on Tuesday evening last week, enough to power more than 22 million homes.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) said the new high was set at 7.30pm on November 11, beating a previous record of 22.5 gigawatts on December 18, 2024.
In addition.
Yesterday, I wrote Ocean Winds Secures Third Celtic Sea Floating Wind Site, which will add 4.5 GW by 2035.
In Renewable Power By 2030 In The UK, I calculated these pessimistic offshore wind power totals for 206-2030.
- 2025 – 1,235 MW
- 2026 – 4,807 MW
- 2027 – 5,350 MW
- 2028 – 4,998 MW
- 2029 – 9,631 MW
- 2030 – 15,263 MW
This adds up to a total of 58,897 MW.
Conclusion
We shall be needing some new ways to export electricity to Europe.
Ocean Winds Secures Third Celtic Sea Floating Wind Site
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ocean Winds has secured the third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea, offered through the Crown Estate’s Round 5 auction earlier this year. The developer is joining Equinor and the Gwynt Glas joint venture, which were awarded rights for two of the three sites offered in Round 5 in June.
This paragraph outlines Ocean Winds’s deal.
On 19 November, the Crown Estate said that Ocean Winds was set to be awarded the rights for a third floating offshore wind site in the Celtic Sea.
There would now appear to be three Celtic Winds deals for wind farms.
- Gwynt Glas – 1.5 GW
- Ocean Winds – 1.5 GW
- Equinor – 1.5 GW
Note.
- 4.5 GW will be able to power a good proportion of South Wales and the South-West peninsular.
- In Gwynt Glas And South Wales Ports Combine Strength In Preparation For Multi-Billion Floating Wind Industry, I talk about partnerships between the wind farms and the ports.
- If you sign up for a large wind farm from the Crown Estate, do you get to have afternoon tea with Charles and Camilla in the garden at Highgrove or even Buckingham Palace?
This map of the wind farms is available from download from this page on the Crown Estate web site.
Note.
- Gwynt Glas is in green.
- Ocean Winds is in blue.
- Equinor is in mauve.
- The white dot to the East of the wind farms is Lundy Island.
This triple wind farm is certainly well-placed to supply power to Cornwall, Devon and South Wales.
UK, French, And Irish Ports Join Hands In Global Floating Wind Collaboration
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s Associated British Ports (ABP) has teamed up with France’s BrestPort and Ireland’s Shannon Foynes Port to establish the Global Floating Offshore Wind Ports Alliance (FLOW Ports Alliance) to help bring together major floating offshore wind ports across the world and unlock the technology’s full potential.
These first two paragraphs add more detail.
The FLOW Ports Alliance aims to recruit ports in Europe to collaborate on FLOW port design, standardisation, and best operational practices.
It plans to strengthen and accelerate compliant knowledge and experience exchange between ports, share best practices as they emerge through demonstration projects, and share innovations to the benefit of the global FLOW network.
Surely, a global network of ports that can handle construction, operation and maintenance of a range of floating wind platforms, is an excellent idea.
All Recyclable Blades Installed At RWE’s 1.4 GW UK Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
All 150 recyclable blades have been installed at the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm, with more than half of the wind turbines now in place at the UK construction site.
These three paragraphs add more details.
All 150 recyclable blades are now installed, with each turbine utilising 50 sets of three blades, marking the UK’s first large-scale use of this technology at an offshore wind farm, RWE, the developer, said.
The recyclable rotor blades used at Sofia are manufactured by Siemens Gamesa at its Hull factory and use a unique resin that enables easy separation of component materials at the end of each blade’s operational life cycle.
In addition, 62 out of 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines have now been installed at the site located 195 kilometres off the UK’s east coast. Each turbine features 108-metre blades and a 222-metre rotor diameter. Cadeler is responsible for the installation of the wind turbines.
Note.
- The Sofia wind farm has a hundred turbines, each with the customary three blades.
- Currently the 13 MW Siemens Gamesa turbines in Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B are the largest turbines in British waters.
- Sofia’s at 14 MW will be larger.
- But 15 MW monsters are on their way, with RWE’s Norfolk zone appearing to favour 15 MW Vesta turbines.
At the present time, turbine size seems to be creeping up. I would expect this to happen, as turbines become more affordable.
UK Economy To Reap GBP 6.1 Billion From 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm once fully operational, will boost the UK economy by GBP 6.1 billion (approximately EUR 6.9 billion) during its lifetime and support thousands of UK jobs over the next decade, according to a report written by BVG Associates.
The first three phases of the Dogger Bank wind farm are scheduled to be delivered as follows.
- Dogger Bank A – 1235 MW – 2025
- Dogger Bank B – 1235 MW – 2026
- Dogger Bank C – 1218 MW – 2027
The planned dates in the North Sea are generally kept, because we’ve been building structures there since the days of World War Two.
These two paragraphs from the article add more detail.
The economic impact report was commissioned by Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s equity partners SSE, Equinor and Vårgrønn, who are currently constructing the offshore wind farm in three 1.2 GW phases at adjoining sites in the North Sea, more than 130 kilometres from the Yorkshire Coast.
Direct spend with companies in the Northeast of England and in the counties of North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire is expected to total over GBP 3 billion, with hundreds of jobs supported in these regions.
But these three wind farms are just the hors d’oeuvre.
This article on offshoreWIND.biz is entitled SSE, Equinor Move Forward with 1.5 GW Dogger Bank D Project and it has this sub-heading.
SSE and Equinor have finalised a seabed lease with the Crown Estate to progress Dogger Bank D, the proposed fourth phase of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm, currently under construction off the coast of England in the North Sea.
These two paragraphs from the article add more detail.
The lease allows Dogger Bank D shareholders to maximise renewable generation from the eastern part of the Dogger Bank C seabed area, located around 210 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, with future potential to unlock an additional 1.5 GW.
SSE Renewables and Equinor previously established terms for the wind farm with the Crown Estate in July 2024. Implementation of these commercial terms was subject to the conclusion earlier this year of the plan-level Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) associated with the Crown Estate’s wider Capacity Increase Programme.
Note.
- The total capacity for the first four phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm are 5,188 MW.
- But if the Crown Estate’s wider Capacity Increase Programme is carried out, the total capacity will be 6,688 MW.
- Hinckley Point C is planned to be only 3,260 MW and is likely to be fully delivered between 2029 and 2031.
So if the Crown Estate, Equinor and SSE go for the full Dogger Bank D, I believe it is likely that we’ll get a wind farm with a capacity of two Hinckley Point Cs delivered before the nuclear power station.
.
First Bus To Launch 1MW BESS Unit In Hampshire, Aberdeen To Follow
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
Bus operator First Bus has launched its largest energy storage facility yet in Hampshire.
These four paragraphs add more detail.
Located at the company’s Hoeford bus depot, the 1MW battery storage unit, with a 2-hour duration, will begin operations next month.
This will be followed by a bigger battery storage unit with 2MW/4MWh capacity at its depot in Aberdeen, which will begin work by the end of the year.
The FirstGroup division said that it will explore opportunities to build more battery sites across the UK in the future.
The new battery storage facilities will be used to store surplus electricity that will be distributed back to the grid during peak demand and help maintain power supplies. It will also be used to power the company’s more than 1,200 electric bus fleet.
Note.
- Hoeford’s 1MW/2MWh and Aberdeen’s 2MW/4MWh are big batteries.
- They will be installed, where there is a predictable need.
- Google AI says that the First Bus UK News “About Us” page lists 65 depots and outstations.
- I suspect some clever data analysis is being used to optimise the size of a battery to the route structure and number of buses at a depot.
The batteries appear to come from a company called Palmer Energy Technology, who are backed by Barclays, First Bus and the University of Oxford.
This is the Palmer Energy Technology web site, which has these two paragraphs.
Palmer Energy designs and manufactures Battery Energy Storage Systems that apply automotive‑grade principles to stationary applications. PETL specifies premium cells, uses liquid cooling as standard and focuses on intelligent control to drive down operating costs for customers in transport, industry and the grid.
Through our 100% ownership of Brill Power, a University of Oxford spin out, we incorporate Brill Power’s patented active loading BMS technology in all our BESS to increase the lifetime of systems, improve safety and remove geopolitical risks by storing all data on UK servers.
These are my further thoughts.
Electric Bus Charging Puts A Strain On The Grid
A couple of years ago, I had a drink with three bus depot managers in London. They said that some depots were having difficulty getting sufficient power from the grid.
This Google Map shows Hoeford Depot where the first battery has been installed.
Note.
- Hoeford Depot is by the water at Fareham.
- The depot is indicated by the red arrow.
- The depot is surrounded by houses and other businesses.
As an electrical engineer, I would expect that a battery of the right size could sort out any charging problems.
Bus Garage Batteries Could Mop Up Surplus Electricity
Consider.
- I would expect bus garages have a predictable pattern for energy use.
- Buses will often be charged at night, when solar power is low.
- Do bus garages get a cheaper electricity rate at night?
- There will be times, when bus garages can accept excess energy from the grid and store it until they need it.
- This will mean that wind turbines won’t have to be turned off so often.
Palmer’s batteries installed in a bus garage seem to be a simple way to increase renewable energy efficiency and possibly reduce the cost of battery charging.
Would A Bank Finance The Batteries?
I am not a banker or an accountant, but I have worked with some of the very best. One banker, who sadly has now passed on, would have surely backed this company if the technology and the forecasts stacked up, just as he backed the company, that I helped to start.
It does look as if Barclays are backing the company.
Great Yarmouth Terminal Set For Redevelopment Under Port Of East Anglia Name
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s Peel Ports Group has decided to invest a further GBP 10 million (approximately EUR 11.3 million) into its Great Yarmouth site, which is being rebranded as the Port of East Anglia.
These four paragraphs add details to the story.
The newly announced GBP 10 million brings this year’s total investment to GBP 70 million across the site and will be used to redevelop the port’s Northern Terminal, helping to accommodate the next generation of offshore wind projects across the region, according to Peel Ports.
Earlier this year, a substantial investment into its Southern Terminal was announced by the port, which has earmarked GBP 60 million to transform capacity and improve efficiencies.
This involves ensuring the port can support multiple hydrogen, carbon capture, offshore wind, and nuclear projects for decades to come.
Its existing terminals service a variety of construction customers, including infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C and offshore energy projects based in the southern North Sea.
Note.
- In Yarmouth Harbour To Be ‘Completed’ In £60m Project, I talk about the work to be done on the Southern Terminal.
- The work on the Southern Terminal includes a roll-on roll-off (RORO) lift ramp and a large storage area.
- Start on the work on the Southern Terminal will start in 2026.
With all the construction work mentioned in the last two paragraphs, I suspect that the Port of Great Yarmouth will be busy?
These are some further thoughts.
Why Is The Port Of Great Yarmouth Being Renamed?
The article says this.
The new name, which will come into effect in early 2026, also aligns with the creation of a new combined authority for Suffolk and Norfolk, according to Peel Ports.
Peel Ports name change is fairly sensible, but as I was conceived in Suffolk and I’m an Ipswich Town supporter, I don’t feel that the two counties should be merged.
Does The Mention Of Hydrogen Mean That The Port Of Great Yarmouth Will Be Hosting A Hydrogen Electrolyser, To Fuel Trucks And Ships?
I asked Google AI, “If A Hydrogen Electrolyser is To Be Built In The Port Of Great Yarmouth?”, and received this answer.
While there are no current public plans for an immediate construction of a large-scale hydrogen electrolyser within the Port of Great Yarmouth, significant port expansion and infrastructure upgrades are underway to ensure it can support future hydrogen projects and related clean energy initiatives.
Note.
- If technology to handle hydrogen, is copied from North Sea gas, there is certainly a lot of proven technology that can be used again.
- There may even be depleted gas fields, where captured carbon dioxide, hydrogen or North Sea gas can be stored.
I find the most exciting thing, would be to send hydrogen to Germany.
Why Would Anybody Export Hydrogen To Germany?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Countries would export hydrogen to Germany because Germany has a large, growing demand for hydrogen to power its heavily industrialised economy and achieve its decarbonisation goals, but lacks sufficient domestic renewable energy capacity to produce the required amounts.
Germany also, uses a lot of bloodstained Russian gas and indigenous polluting coal.
How Could Anybody Export Hydrogen To Germany?
- Wilhelmshaven is one of the main import ports for hydrogen in North West Germany.
- Great Yarmouth is probably the closest larger port to Germany.
- Great Yarmouth and Wilhelmshaven are probably about 300 miles apart, by the shortest route.
- Great Yarmouth would need to build infrastructure to export hydrogen.
The easiest way to transport the hydrogen from Great Yarmouth to Wilhelmshaven, is probably to use a gas tanker built especially for the route.
This Google Map shows the route between Great Yarmouth and Wilhelmshaven.
Note.
- The North-East corner of East Anglia with Great Yarmouth to the North of Lowestoft, is in the bottom-left corner of the map.
- Wilhelmshaven is a few miles inland in the top-right corner of the map.
- Could a coastal tanker go along the Dutch and German coasts to Wilhelmshaven?
I have no skills in boats, but would Great Yarmouth to Wilhelmshaven to take hydrogen to Germany?
RWE Are Developing Three Wind Farms To The North-East of Great Yarmouth
RWE are a large German Electricity company and the UK’s largest generator of electricity.
The company is developing three wind farms to the North-East of Great Yarmouth.
- Norfolk Boreas – 1.2 GW – 45 miles offshore
- Norfolk Vanguard West – 1.2 GW – 29 miles offshore
- Norfolk Vanguard East – 1.2 GW – 28 miles offshore
Note.
- The electricity for all three wind farms is to be brought ashore at Happisburgh South, which is about 22 miles North of Great Yarmouth.
- The original plan was to take the electricity halfway across Norfolk to the Necton substation to connect to the grid.
- The natives will not be happy about a 4.2 GW overhead line between Happisburgh and Necton.
- RWE have built offshore electrolysers before in German waters.
- Could an electrical cable or a hydrogen pipe be laid in the sea between Happisburgh South and the Port of Great Yarmouth?
- The electrolyser could either be offshore at Happisburgh or onshore in the Port of Great Yarmouth.
As I don’t suspect these three wind farms will be the last connected to the Port of Great Yarmouth, I would expect that RWE will put the electrolyser offshore at Happisburgh and connect it by a hydrogen pipeline to the Port of Great Yarmouth.
Could There Be A Connection To The Bacton Gas Terminal?
Consider.
The Bacton Gas Terminal, which feeds gas into the UK Gas Network, is only 4.2 miles up the coast from Happisburgh South.
Some climate scientists advocate blending hydrogen into the gas supply to reduce carbon emissions.
In Better Than A Kick In The Teeth – As C Would Say!, I disclosed that I now have a new hydrogen-ready boiler, so I’m not bothered, if I get changed to a hydrogen blend.
So could hydrogen from the Norfolk wind farms be fed into the grid to reduce carbon emissions?
Could The Port Of Great Yarmouth Become A Hydrogen Distribution Centre?
Thinking about it, the port could also become a distribution centre for green hydrogen.
Consider.
- Hydrogen-powered ships, tugs and workboats could be refuelled.
- Hydrogen-powered trucks could also be refuelled.
- Tanker-trucks could distribute hydrogen, to truck and bus operators, farms and factories, that need it for their transport and operations.
- I believe, that construction equipment will be increasingly hydrogen-powered.
In my life, I have lived at times in two country houses, that were heated by propane and there are about 200,000 off-grid houses in the UK, that are heated this way.
The two houses, where I lived would have been a nightmare to convert to heat pumps, but it would have been very easy to convert them to a hydrogen boiler and power it from a tank in the garden.
It should be noted, that the new boiler in my house in London is hydrogen-ready.
So the Port of Great Yarmouth could be the major centre for hydrogen distribution in Norfolk.
In the 1960s, I used to work in ICI’s hydrogen plant at Runcorn. If you ride in a hydrogen bus in England, it is likely that the hydrogen came from the same plant. Handled correctly, hydrogen is no less safe and reliable than natural gas or propane.
UK’s Largest Solar Plant Cleve Hill Supplying Full Power To The Grid
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has completed construction and started commercial operations of the 373MW Cleve Hill Solar Park, now the largest operational in the UK.
Note.
- According to Quinbrook, during the commissioning phase in May, electricity exports from Cleve Hill peaked at a level equivalent to 0.7% of the UK’s national power demand.
- Construction of the 373 MW solar project began in 2023, and Quinbrook said construction is now underway on a 150 MW co-located battery energy storage system (BESS).
- The gas-fired power stations at Coolkeeragh, Corby, Enfield, Great Yarmouth and Shoreham are all around 410-420 MW for comparison.
- On completion of the BESS, Cleve Hill will go from the largest solar plant in the UK to the largest co-located solar plus storage project constructed in the UK.
- The solar and storage plant was the first solar power project to be consented as a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) and is supported by the largest solar + BESS project financing undertaken in the UK.
This Google Map shows the location of the solar farm with respect to Faversham.
Note.
The town of Faversham to the left of the middle of the map.
Faversham station has the usual railway station logo.
The North Kent coast is at the top of the map.
Cleve Hill Solar Park is on the coast to the East of the River Swale.
This second Google Map shows a close up of the solar farm.
Note.
- The large number of solar panels.
- The North Kent coast is at the top of the map.
- The River Swale in the South-West corner of the map.
- It appears that Cleve Hill substation is at the right edge of the map.
- The boxes at the left of the substation appear to be the batteries.
- The 630 MW London Array wind farm, which has been operational since 2013, also connects to the grid at Cleeve Hill substation.
- When completed, the London Array was the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
As a Control Engineer, I do like these Battery+Solar+Wind power stations, as they probably provide at least a reliable 500 MW electricity supply.
Could A System Like Cleeve Hill Solar Park Replace A 410 MW Gas-Fired Power Station?
The three elements of Cleeve Hill are as follows.
- Solar Farm – 373 MW
- BESS – 150 MW
- Wind Farm – 630 MW
That is a total of only 1,153 MW, which means a capacity factor of only 35.6 % would be needed.
How Much Power Does A Large Solar Roof Generate?
Some people don’t like solar panels on farmland, so how much energy do solar panels on a warehouse roof generate?
This Google Map shows Amazon’s warehouse at Tilbury.
I asked Google AI to tell me about Amazon’s solar roof at Tilbury and it said this.
Amazon’s solar roof at the Tilbury fulfillment center is the largest rooftop solar installation at any Amazon site in Europe, featuring 11,500 panels across the two-million-square-foot roof. Unveiled in 2020, it is part of Amazon’s larger goal to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and reduce its emissions, contributing to its Climate Pledge to be net-zero carbon by 2040.
It generates 3.4 MW, which is less that one percent of Cleeve Hill Solar Park.
Iberdrola Looking To Sell 49 Pct Stake In UK Offshore Wind Farm – Report
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Iberdrola has begun exploring the sale of 49 per cent of its East Anglia Two offshore wind farm project in the UK, according to a report by the Spanish media outlet Cinco Días citing unnamed sources.
These four paragraphs give more details.
The renewable energy developer has already engaged Bank of America and BBVA as financial advisors to assist with the potential transaction, Cinco Días writes.
Iberdrola’s interest in selling a nearly half stake in East Anglia Two mirrors previous deals in the East Anglia portfolio, where the company has brought in financial partners in two other phases, East Anglia One and East Anglia Three.
The 714 MW East Anglia One offshore wind farm is owned by Iberdrola’s UK arm ScottishPower Renewables and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG), with Octopus Energy having acquired a 10 per cent stake from GIG this April. East Agnlia One has been in operation since 2021.
In July this year, Iberdrola and UAE clean energy company Masdar announced what the companies said was the largest offshore wind transaction of the decade as they signed an agreement to co-invest in the 1.4 GW East Anglia Three project, currently under construction.
But then being bought and sold is the way of life for an offshore wind farm.
In 2018, I wrote World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, which contains this extract from the Times says this about the funding of wind farms.
Wind farms throw off “long-term boring, stable cashflows”, Mr. Murphy said, which was perfect to match Aviva policyholders and annuitants, the ultimate backers of the project. Aviva has bought fixed-rate and inflation-linked bonds, issued by the project. While the coupon paid on the 15-year bonds, has not been disclosed, similar risk projects typically pay an interest rate of about 3 per cent pm their bonds. Projects typically are structured at about 30 per cent equity and 70 per cent debt.
Darryl Murphy is Aviva’s head of infrastructure debt. The article also says, that Aviva will have a billion pounds invested in wind farms by the end of the year.
I wonder how long it will be before individual investors can fund their pensions, with a direct investment in a wind farm?
- The wind farm would surely be a better investment if it had an integrated battery to supply power, when the wind didn’t blow.
- It would probably also be a safer investment, if it had been generating electricity for some years.
After all, at the present time, you can invest in batteries through companies like Gresham House and Gore Street.
The Anonymous Widower 