future offshore wind energy technology

2017 2020 2025 2030+

Future Offshore

Wind Technologies

Industry

Impact

&

Adoption

Time-frame

©2017 Totaro & Associates, All Rights Reserved

HTS Inter-Array & Export Cables

“Common Converter”Electrical Architecture

Floating Platform

Flow Field Visualization combining Airborne & fLIDAR

Quayside Turbine & Foundation Assembly

Tension Leg Platform

Hybrid Blades / Materials

Vessel-deployed, Fully Assembled Turbine & Foundation

UAV / Remote Inspection

Sky Crane Turbine & Foundation Installation

Site-specific Design

“Self Healing” Cable Encasing

Hybrid Service Vessels –Mothership with CTVs

Cable-stayed Turbine Rotor

Co-generating Foundations –Wind & Hydro

Condition Based / Predictive Maintenance Program “Converter-less” Electrical

System

Inter-array Energy Storage

Turbine / Wind Park Situational Awareness

Predictive Output Modeling

Desalination

HVDC Inter-array

Guyed Monopile

Hybrid Jacket / Gravity BaseMulti-turbine Platforms

Bio-based Grout

Closed-loop Turbine & Foundation Liquid Cooling Structural Fabric Mooring Lines

Hybrid Jacket / Pile Foundation

Wireless SCADA / Power Plant Control

Fibre Optic Controller Architecture

Anti-corrosion coatings

Turbine Service Tow-in / Out

Skirted Gravity Base

HVAC Inter-array

Future Offshore Wind Technologies

#30 Sky Crane Turbine Erection

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What is it?

Using an airship as a sky-

crane for component

transport and assembly

Why is it Important?

• Turbines and foundations

can be fully assembled

quayside and delivered to

a site in a single pick

• Reduces offshore

construction time and

weather uncertainty risks

• Eliminates some vessels


#29 Guyed Monopile Foundation

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What is it?

A monopile with guy wires to

provide lateral support and

damping of wave motion or

turbine induced oscillations


• Improves structural stability

• Could reduce material use /

cost of monopile

• Enhances load mitigation and

oscillatory damping capability

• Allows for monopile use in

wider array of environments


#28 Multi-turbine Floating Platform

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What is it?

A floating structure

which comprises

connections for

multiple turbines


• Could provide

offshore wind

access in complex

undersea regimes

with higher

competing power

generation prices


#27 Crew Access Safety Systems

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What is it?

Gangway systems

which enhance

safety of crew

access through

controlled motion /

ballasting


• There should never

be too high a price

to pay for safety

• Improves reliability

of gangways


#26 Skirted Gravity Base

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What is it?

A gravity base which

comprises a “skirt” to

distribute load over a

wider footprint and

prevent tilting during

settlement in soft soil


• Enables gravity base

foundations to be used

at wider array of sites

• Base can be solid or

hollow and filled with

sediment


#25 Concrete Reinforced Monopile

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What is it?

A monopile foundation

which is reinforced with a

concrete sleeve


• Allows for variable pile

thickness (reduced

material cost)

• “Tensionless” tube

structure mitigates loads

• Provides cost effective

structural reinforcement

and load mitigation


#24 Cable Stayed Rotor / Pitch

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What is it?

Turbine with guyed

blades for structural

support


• As turbine power

ratings push towards

12MW+ and blade

length increases, it

may become

necessary to provide

structural support for

a 220 – 260m or more

rotor diameter


#23 Power Plant Control over WiFi

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What is it?

Wireless

interconnection of

turbine controller,

SCADA & CMS


• Eliminates sub-sea

communications

cables, saving cost

• Enables device

interconnection /

interoperability for

service techs


#22 Vessels – Mothership + CTVs

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What is it?

A hybrid vessel

which serves as a

mothership and

provides crew

quarters (floatel),

CTV stowage, and

spares warehousing


• ‘All in one’ service

vessel which can

accommodate

multiple projects

simultaneously


#21 HTS Inter-Array / Export Cables

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What is it?

Using high

temperature super-

conducting wire for

electrical cabling


• Improves

efficiency – low

current drop-off

• Minimal eddy

currents

• Easier HVDC

transmission

integration


#20 Structural Fabric Moorings

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What is it?

Moorings with elastomeric

material used to form

tensile and compressive

elements


• Provides cost effective

load mitigation for

floating platforms & TLPs

• Increased strength

reduces mooring line

thickness, which saves

cost


#19 Self-healing Electrical Cables

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What is it?

Electrical cables with an

outer casing that comprises a

protective layer applied by

extrusion coating for

increased abrasion resistance


• Reduces inspection cycle

• Reduces O&M cost / repair

cycle time

• Improves transmission

efficiency and wind park

availability


#18 Airborne LIDAR + fLIDAR

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What is it?

Merging data from

floating LIDAR platform

with data taken from

airborne LIDAR scans


• Increases fidelity of

site assessment

• Leverages fixed

wind, rotorcraft or

UAVs / drones

• Enabler for site

specific design


#17 Hybrid Jacket / Pile Foundation

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What is it?

A jacket foundation which comprises

feet which can fit into monopile

mounts driven into the seabed


• Allows for jacket structure to be

used in sites where only a

monopile can be affixed to the

seabed, but at a lower CapEx cost

vs. a full-size pile

• Minimizes environmental impact

with smaller piles

• Leverages existing piledriving

vessels


#16 Hybrid Jacket / Gravity Base

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What is it?

A gravity base foundation which comprises

a jacket that can be mounted on top with

varying jacket length to accommodate

variance in site water depth


• Allows for jacket customization to

accommodate variable water depths

• Advantages of gravity base plus stability

and cost effectiveness of jacket

• Achieves manufacturing scale by

standardizing jacket component

manufacturing (strut nodes, leg nodes

and tubular sections are all standard)


#15 “Copper-less” Cables

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What is it?

Electrical cables which

comprise an advanced

conductor comprising

graphene & / or germanene


• While copper is

(comparatively) cheap,

more advanced materials

can improve transmission

efficiency, enabling wind

parks to be sited further

offshore


#14 Common Converter Electrical

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What is it?

High voltage output from

generator through

passive rectifier to DC

bus and common inverter


• Lowers CapEx costs by

minimizing switchgear

and eliminating step-

up/down transformers

• Enables ‘direct to DC’

(HVDC integration)

• Improves efficiency


#13 UAV / Drone Remote Inspection

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What is it?

Remote inspection of wind turbine

components using a UAV / drone

outfitted with optical camera &/or

sensors


• Reduces inspection cycle time;

could allow for increased inspection

frequency

• Use of sensors improves inspection

quality beyond visual range

• Improves inspection consistency

• Improves worker safety


#12 Converter-less Electrical

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What is it?

DC/DC rectifier at output

of DC power generation

system


• Reduces CapEx cost

significantly, due to

lack of full power

converter

• Improves electrical

system efficiency

• Improves OpEx cost


#11 HVDC Inter-Array Cables

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What is it?

Direct current (DC)

collection and

transmission system

for wind park


• Enables HVDC

direct from power

generation source

(‘direct to DC’)

• Improves

transmission

efficiency


#10 Turbine Service Tow-In / Out

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What is it?

Towing turbines with

floating or TLP

foundations to a site for

installation or back to

quayside for service


• Vessel size limited to

tug vs. crane barge

• Enables a cost effective service model where quality & safety

inspections as well as repairs are performed in a controlled on-

shore environment

• Improves repair cycle time and reduces crew access risks


#9 Wind + Hydro Foundation

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What is it?

A hydro turbine co-mounted

onto an offshore wind

turbine foundation


• Leverages common

foundation and electrical

systems for multiple

turbine energy output

• Hydro turbine(s) offset

wind turbine ancillary

systems power

consumption


#8 Site Specific Design

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What is it?

Turbine product family with a

common electrical system and

drivetrain, plus:

• Multiple power ratings

• Multiple rotor diameters

• Multiple foundations (depths)


• Accommodates variation in

wind conditions at each

foundation location

• Enables site power

maximization


#7 Tension Leg Platform

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What is it?

A buoyant foundation which

is vertically moored to the

seafloor by tendons


• Combines the best

features of floating

platforms and gravity base

• Allows for tow-out/in

installation and service

method

• Leverages O&G know-how


#6 Wake Effect Mitigation

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What is it?

Turbine power rating

control based on impact

of wake effects from

upwind turbines


• Minimize component

damage on downwind

turbines

• Optimal power during wake interference event determined by

computer algorithm(s)


#5 Predictive O&M Scheduling

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What is it?

A computer system to

determine minimal

revenue impact of future

scheduled maintenance

based on component

monitoring and calculation

of remaining useful life


• Saves significant cost vs. periodic preventative maintenance

strategy and ensures spares inventory is available

• Machine learning algorithms can be programmed to assist in

determining failure date, failure probability, and NPV of repairs


#4 Quayside Turbine & Foundation

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What is it?

Quayside erection of

turbine or turbine +

foundation for vessel

based deployment


• Significant reduction in

installation cycle time

• Ensures manufacturing

& assembly quality in

onshore environment

prior to deployment

• Increase in vessel capacity would be required to accommodate


#3 Hybrid Blade Materials

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What is it?

Blade comprised of multiple

materials throughout length.

Design options include:

• Carbon Root, Glass Outboard

• Metal Matrix Composite Root,

Glass or Carbon Outboard


• Manufacturing quality defects

are minimal using 3D printing

• Strength is maintained with

minimal weight & cost impact

• Fundamental technology for

10MW+ offshore


#2 Condition Based Maintenance

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What is it?

Using CMS, SCADA data, and modelling

analysis of component and system

damage accumulation to predict a

revenue optimal service interval


• Enables anticipatory turbine control

to extend operation to a scheduled

maintenance window

• Ensures offline time for scheduled

maintenance is minimized, with as

little revenue impact as possible

• Mitigates unplanned maintenance


#1 Predictive Output Modelling

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• Determines NPV of power delivery vs. turbine component damage

accumulation (de-rate / up-rate impact analysis on park revenue)

• Calculates whether to “bank” power in energy storage vs. deliver

to grid based on prevailing market conditions

• Supplements power delivery to meet PPA guarantee via turbine

up-rate or energy storage when other turbines require a

component life preserving de-rate

What is it?

Simulation and control system which

calculates the optimal amount of

power delivery for a given time

interval based on prevailing wind

conditions and market conditions


future offshore wind energy technology

Engineering