Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics Volume 2 wind energy 2 14 – offshore wind power basics
2.14 Offshore Wind Power Basics M Kapsali and JK Kaldellis, Technological Education Institute of Piraeus, Athens, Greece © 2012 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved 2.14.1 Introduction 2.14.2 Offshore Wind Energy Status 2.14.2.1 History and Background 2.14.2.2 Offshore Wind Energy Activity 2.14.3 Offshore Wind Farms – Basic Features 2.14.3.1 Wind Turbine Design 2.14.3.2 Support Structures and Towers 2.14.3.2.1 Shallow water technology 2.14.3.2.2 Transitional water technology 2.14.3.2.3 Floating technology 2.14.3.3 Supplementary Equipment 2.14.3.3.1 Offshore substation 2.14.3.3.2 Onshore substation 2.14.3.3.3 Underwater cabling 2.14.4 Offshore Wind Farm Design, Installation, and Maintenance 2.14.4.1 Equipment Selection Requirements 2.14.4.1.1 Wind evaluation 2.14.4.1.2 Wave and current evaluation 2.14.4.2 Other Wind Farm Design Considerations 2.14.4.3 Installation and Transportation Facilities 2.14.4.4 O&M Facilities 2.14.5 Offshore Wind Energy Economic Considerations 2.14.6 Environmental and Social Issues 2.14.6.1 Noise Impacts 2.14.6.2 Visual Impacts 2.14.6.3 Impacts on Wild Life 2.14.7 Future Trends and Prospects References Further Reading Relevant Websites Glossary Capacity factor Ratio between the real and the potential electricity production if the wind turbine had operated at rated capacity Conventional power generation Burning coal, oil or natural gas to generate power Fixed bottom structure Mounting the wind turbine’s tower on the seabed Floating concept Mounting the wind turbine’s tower on a floating platform Foundation In this Chapter the term ‘foundation’ refers only to the part of the installation being actually into the seabed However, in some other cases, one may see the term ‘foundation’ to be used for the whole part of the installation below the tower of the offshore wind turbine Comprehensive Renewable Energy, Volume 432 432 432 434 440 440 441 441 446 449 450 450 451 451 452 452 454 454 455 456 458 459 463 463 463 463 464 466 468 468 Life cycle cost The sum of all recurring and one-time (non-recurring) costs over the full life cycle of a project Broadly speaking, this cost includes the initial investment, installation costs, O&M costs (split into the fixed maintenance cost and the variable one), and remaining (residual) value at the end of the project’s useful life Shallow water technology Offshore wind applications appropriate for shallow water depths (e.g