Building the first full scale offshore floating wind turbine
StatoilHydro has decided to build the world’s first full scale floating wind turbine, Hywind, and test it over a two-year period offshore Karmøy.
HYWIND. StatoilHydro has developed HyWind based on floating concrete constructions familiar from North Sea oil installations. In this way we exploit the wind where it is strongest and most consistent — far out to sea.
The company is investing approximately 400 million NOK. Planned startup is autumn 2009.
The project combines known technology in an innovative way. A 2.3 MW wind turbine is attached to the top of a floating element, a solution familiar from production platforms and offshore loading buoys.
The rotor blades on the floating wind turbine will have a diameter of 80 metres, and the nacelle will tower some 65 metres above the sea surface. The flotation element will have a draft of some 100 metres below the sea surface, and will be moored to the seabed using three anchor points. The wind turbine can be located in waters with depths ranging from 120 to 700 metres.
Watch film about the project.
Contracts signed
The pilot project will be assembled in Åmøyfjorden near Stavanger and is to be located some 10 kilometres offshore Karmøy in the county of Rogaland. The wind turbine itself is to be built by Siemens. Technip will build the floatation element and have responsibility for the installation offshore. Nexans will lay cables to shore, and Haugaland Kraft will be responsible for the landfall. Enova is supporting the project with 59 million NOK.
StatoilHydro is allocating in excess of 400 million NOK to building and developing the pilot, as well as research and development of the wind turbine concept. The goal of the pilot is to reduce costs so that floating wind power can compete in the power market.
The company has entered into a technology development agreement with Siemens for the project. The wind turbines must function optimally even in large waves.
Tested in a wave tank
A three metre high model has already been tested successfully in SINTEF Marintek’s wave simulator in Trondheim. The goal of the pilot is to qualify the technology and reduce costs to a level that will mean that floating wind turbines can compete with other energy sources.
Visit the StatoilHydro web site
Hywind in brief
• Turbine capacity: 2.3 MW
• Weight of turbine: 138 tonnes
• Turbine height: 65 m
• Rotor diameter: 82.4 m
• Floatation element's draught below sea surface: 100 m
• Total weight: 5300 tonnes
• Diameter at sea surface: 6 m
• Diameter of floatation element: 8.3 m
• Sea depth range: 120 – 700 metres
• No. of anchor moorings: 3
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