An offshore Wind Turbine Farm with turbines in 44 meter deep water? This project with world record ambitions will start next summer at the Scottish Beatrice Wind Farm in the Inverness coastal zone. ECN participates in the realisation of this unique offshore wind turbine farm within the European project DOWNVInD.
According to Luc Rademakers, project leader of the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), this is a fairly difficult project. Never before has there has been an attempt to install wind turbines in water deeper than approx. 25 meter, as in the first Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ) that will be built offshore near the Egmond coast. "The loads upon the wind turbines are extremely high. This is the reason why Talisman Energy, the main contractor and initiator of the wind turbine project, has asked ECN to gather and analyse information and data from the first 5MW wind turbines at Beatrice Wind Farm. These turbines are the prototypes for the wind turbines that will ultimately be placed at the wind turbine farm with a capacity of approx. 200 MW."
Artist impression Beatrice Windpark Scotland.
Source: REpower Systems AG
Two DANTE measurement systems (Data Acquisition Network for Turbine Evaluation) will be incorporated in each wind turbine. These systems can gather up to a maximum of 32 measuring signals, e.g. the mechanical load on the mast and turbine blades, rotation of the rotor and acceleration of the nacelle. Moreover, the load upon the support structure under water will be measured and evaluated by ECN by gathering data for wave load and water current.
Rademakers: "ECN has been involved in this European project for quite a while already. Since the beginning of 2004 ECN has been directly involved with, among other things, the planning of a maintenance and management system for the large offshore wind farm. Because of the outcome of this ECN report, Talisman Energy decided to take the first leap into deep water. It is crucial for them that the test with the first 5 MW turbines turns out successful. Eventually, offshore wind turbines will be more reliable than onshore wind turbines. However, due to the higher repair costs per failure the yearly maintenance costs for, offshore wind turbines will always be higher than for onshore turbines, but these higher maintenance costs will be balanced by higher energy yields from the offshore wind turbines resulting from higher wind speed. These tests are designed to demonstrate that offshore turbines are as cost-effective as onshore turbines and they are a new challenge for our group of scientists. All of them involved are registered to follow the obligatory course in 'Maintenance at Sea', so they can calibrate and maintain our measurements systems as soon as the offshore turbine is installed."
These new, deep-water constructions resemble power pylons, i.e. they are open and water permeable. As a result, the water load will be distributed in a different manner than with solid monopole constructions.
Source: Talisman Energy
The main goal of the measurements is to provide Talisman Energy and the German REpower Company with the data, necessary to enable them to verify all of their blueprint assumptions. The design of the support structure for the offshore wind turbine is completely different from any previous designs. These new, deep-water constructions resemble power pylons, i.e. they are open and water permeable. As a result, the water and wave loads will be different than for solid monopole structures.
"The energy produced by the test turbine at Beatrice Wind Farm will be delivered to Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE)." Rademakers continues, "The duration of the energy supply depends upon the results of the tests. If the results are positive more turbines will be placed at the Beatrice Wind Farm, and ECN will certainly participate again."
Information:
More information on the new offshore wind turbine farm in Moray Firth, Scotland, can be found at their website, www.beatricewind.co.uk and at the Talisman Energy website, www.talisman-energy.com.
Contact:
Bert Janssen
ECN Wind Energy
Tel. (+31) 224 - 56 4664
l.janssen@ecn.nl
Delft, 23 april 2013
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