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ENERGIX-Stort program energi

Connect- Floating Offshore Wind

Alternative title: Eksportkabel- Flytende vind

Awarded: NOK 8.8 mill.

Project Number:

332325

Project Period:

2022 - 2026

Funding received from:

Location:

Subject Fields:

Partner countries:

Bottom fixed offshore wind is rapidly becoming cost competitive. However, wind power production thereof can only be accessed in water depths of up to ~70 m leaving vast amounts of ocean space and wind resources still inaccessible. Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) offers the enormous opportunity of harvesting these resources by moving wind energy infrastructure further from the coastland to deeper waters. While offshore floating wind turbines are rapidly reaching maturity, their floating export substation counterpart with their associated infrastructure has yet to be realized and this is essential to enable floating wind technologies at relevant scale. The mechanical loads from the cyclic motion on the export platform may cause degradation and failure of the electrical system, including export cable and top-side substation. In fact; as of today, no dynamic export cable at the scale needed to support a commercial floating wind farm have ever been deployed, and the inherent technological gaps remain still unsolved. The core challenge concerns to the subsea cable water barrier. The traditional barrier traditionally manufactured from lead alloys cannot sustain the cyclic solicitations that a dynamic cable suspended from a floating substation is subjected to. The Connect-FOW project aims to fill this major technology gap by means of an unique multi-disciplinary approach where the key technology stakeholders, i.e. the floating substation designer-represented by Aibel, and the export cable manufacturer, represented by Nexans, will jointly develop their respective components for the purpose of protecting what is recognized as the technological "weakest link" of the whole FOW ecosystem: the dynamic export cable. Sintef and IFE will participate as research partners and develop test methodology and modelling tolls to address the technology gaps. Ørsted and RWE participates as end-users.

Bottom fixed offshore wind is rapidly becoming cost competitive. However, wind power production thereof can only be accessed in water depths of up to ~70 m leaving vast amounts of ocean space and wind resources still inaccessible. Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) offers the enormous opportunity to access areas where the water depth exceeds the limit for bottom fixed offshore wind. While offshore floating wind turbines are rapidly reaching maturity, their floating export substation counterpart with their associated infrastructure has yet to be realized and this is essential to enable floating wind technologies at relevant scale. Significant technology barriers exist across the FOW ecosystem, particularly in the export system. Technical challenges arise from the inadequacy of the traditional electrical system in a floating context. In particular, the mechanical loads from the cyclic motion on the export platform may cause degradation and failure of the electrical system, including export cable and top-side substation. In fact; as of today, no dynamic export cable at the scale needed to support a commercial floating wind farm have ever been deployed, and the inherent technological gaps remain still unsolved. The core challenge concerns to the subsea cable water barrier. The traditional barrier traditionally manufactured from lead alloys cannot sustain the cyclic solicitations that a dynamic cable suspended from a floating substation is subjected to. The Connect-FOW project aims to fill this major technology gap by means of an unique multi-disciplinary approach where both the dynamic export cable, its water barrier and substation itself will be developed to face the harsh dynamic environment in floating wind. Nexans and Aibel will work with Sintef and IFE to research and develop the underlying material science and modelling tools to achieve the project goals. The project will be supported by the end-users; Ørsted and RWE.

Funding scheme:

ENERGIX-Stort program energi