Floating LiDAR approaching commercial acceptance

Transcription

1 Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter February 2015 Issue 10 Page 1 Offshore Wind Accelerator: Collaborative RD&D that aims to reduce the cost of energy by 10% Editorial 2014 was an eventful year for the offshore wind industry, with mixed fortunes for the sector as a handful of projects fell away while others secured l a n d m a r k f i n a n c i n g agreements. Amongst the political uncertainty we saw seven major projects given the green light across Europe, including the first fully projectfinanced offshore wind farm and five offshore projects offered early CfDs in the UK looks set to be another critical year for the industry with the first CfD auction round set for early February and a number of projects still in the race to secure ROCs. With competition for a limited CfD budget, cost reduction is ever m o r e i m p o r t a n t. O W A continues to lead the industry's cost cutting efforts, with a number of exciting projects helping to de-risk and c o m m e r c i a l i s e n o v e l innovations. With the support of DECC and Scottish Government, the OWA industry partners are looking to expand the programme to other European governments, increasing the scale and impact of the programme. Contacts Carbon Trust Jan Matthiesen, Huw Williams DONG Energy Jørn Scharling Holm E.ON Jörgen Bodin, Ralph Chamberlain Mainstream Bernard Casey, Cameron Smith RWE Innogy Aidan Marchand, Friedrich Koch ScottishPower Renewables Christopher Leach SSE Renewables Robert Cussons Statkraft Klaus Udesen Statoil Eirik Byklum, Andrew Charles Croker Vattenfall Andy Paine, Jon O Sullivan Floating LiDAR approaching commercial acceptance Floating LiDAR technology, which could lead to CAPEX savings of up to 90% when compared to the cost of installing a conventional meteorological mast, is on the verge of commercial acceptance with the support of a number of OWA initiatives. OWA has recently kicked off the world s largest and most challenging validation trials of floating LiDAR devices, with up to 5 different devices set to be subjected to extensive testing and validation against met masts at three North Sea Round 3 sites. The data captured will be analysed and validated by an independent third party in accordance with the OWA Image: FLIDAR OWA secures additional 3.9m DECC funding Carbon Trust are delighted to announce that the OWA has been awarded 3.9m funding from the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) over 2014/15 and 2015/16. An additional 1.5m in 2014/15 will enable us to kick off a number of projects before the end of the fiscal year, while the 2.4m for 2015/16 will supplement the 2m already committed from the Scottish Government for the core OWA programme. The funding award attests to Roadmap for the Commercial Acceptance of Floating LiDAR. The first devices participating in trials include: EOLOS LiDAR Buoy, of EOLOS, Spain - planned to deploy at Ijmuiden (RWE) FLIDAR, of FLIDAR, Belgium - already deployed at Neart na Gaoithe (Mainstream Renewable Power) WindSentinel, of AXYS Technologies, Canada - planned to deploy at East Anglia (Scottish Power Renewables) Another two devices are being considered for deployment at East Anglia and IJmuiden, something that will be finalised in the coming months. The majority of OWA partners will participate in the project and it is expected that some non-owa developers will also partake in the validation campaign. The discretionary project remains open for new partners to join. OWA is also continuing to e n g a g e w i t h I E A (International Energy Agency) Wind Annex 32 to produce a floating LiDAR best practice t h e i mp a c t t ha t t h e programme has delivered to date and the strength of the pipeline of projects identified by the respective working groups for the year ahead. With Stage II of the programme set to come to an end in 2016, Carbon Trust and OWA Partners are actively looking to diversify funding sources and expand the scale of the next phase of the programme by also bringing in contributions from other European governments. Image: AXYS Technologies document for the industry. OWA has been involved since the beginning of the taskforce and the work undertaken through the OWA in both developing the OWA Roadmap for the Commercial Acceptance of Floating LiDAR and the comparison tables developed during the floating LiDAR workshop have been key in the development of the document so far. The OWA Wakes Technical Working Group (TWG) also brings extra value to the group by ensuring its work remains practical for developers. The growing confidence in the bankability of floating LiDAR technology has been evident during the past year, with a handful of devices having secured commercial contracts. Existing OWA Partners have agreed to a letter of understanding confirming that they would like to see the next phase of the programme continue for another 4 years, with the option of extending by 2 years. This new programme w i l l a l s o p r e s e n t a n opportunity for new developers to join OWA.

2 Page 2 Issue 10 February 2015 Access Systems Sea trial data continues to inform P-Plot development The first Performance(P)-Plot results have been obtained from BMT Houlder's Transfer Access System (TAS) sea trial, w h i c h c o m p l e t e d l a s t September. The data will be used to support on-going work Tank testing and fender tests have started providing the first results to confirm that vessel behaviour observed in numerical modelling and tank testing assessments appear to align. The model to full scale alignment gives confidence in scale testing which is a more cost effective method of understanding performance. The testing is part of a project to better understand the f e n d e r / b o a t - l a n d i n g interaction to allow the selection of appropriate vessels for the given tasks and site conditions, thus improving accessibility, reducing wind turbine downtime and giving greater business case certainty whilst improving safety during personnel transfers. Detailed work on vessel behaviour when thrusting against the boat landing structure will be assessed in the coming months. Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter Vessel and transfer system benchmarking completed OWA recently completed a project to benchmark the performance of different access vessels and transfer systems, which has provided insights on how Performance (P)-Plots can be obtained. A key finding from this project and from undertaking previous sea trials is that it is challenging to obtain P-plots for a vessel directly through sea trials. It is, however, more feasible to validate P-plots with sea trials that have been generated numerically or through tank testing, which was shown to be effective for the TAS CTruk sea trials. Subsequent to this, P-Plots are being developed as part of the Performance Metrics Validation project, which has just kicked Testing underway on vessel motion and fender friction project Most of the OWA Access innovators have reached t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e k e y development milestones and many are now ready for commercialisation. Carbon Trust is creating a summary document with the key outcomes from the 3 years of the technology de-risking process, due to be published in mid Among the recent highlights from the OWA Access Innovators, Offshore Transfer Devices have completed manufacturing and hydraulic testing of their Turbine Docking Device (TDD). The TDD is designed to use the vessel s thrust to clamp onto the boat landing tubes and to validate the limits of, and create a baseline for, P -Plots, which is expected to be completed during 2015, following review from industry. Carbon Trust is engaging with key industry players like the IMCA, G9, and National Workboats Association to prepare the ground to release P-Plot procedures to industry in late Access Innovators Update reduce the motion at the contact point between the vessel and the boat landing. The OWA is supporting Offshore Transfer Devices in Year 5 to get the TDD fitted to a Crew Transfer Vessel in order to demonstrate its capabilities. Currently they are in discussions with several operators to have the device installed and tested on their vessel. Image: Umoe Mandal The first of two Umoe Mandal WaveCraft vessels is nearing completion, ready to service DONG Energy s Borkum Riffgrund offshore wind farm. Fabrication is expected to be completed in early February and the vessel will host the next Access Technical Working Group meeting. Meanwhile, the last of six Fjellstrand vessels ordered by World Marine Offshore has been delivered, ready for operation in offshore off, through tank testing and sea trials. Vessel selection tool completed Another project to supplement work on P-plots has been completed, which will provide a benchmarking tool to assess the accessibility of each vessel by knowing the wind farm met -ocean conditions and the vessel performance (P-Plot). T h e A c c e s s S y s t e m Accessibility (ASA) tool is envisaged to help developers in assessing their vessel requirement and optimal access strategies for new and existing windfarms. The excelbased tool evaluates and benchmarks the accessibility performance of vessel and transfer system concepts for a given scenario on a wind farm site. wind farms around the North Sea. The 30m vessel is able to carry 24 personnel and provides excellent stability during transfer due to a rapid ballast system which reduces vessel motion. It is with regret that we have to announce that TranSPAR have had to stop development due to regulation-imposed requirements that resulted in a significant increase on the craft cost.

3 Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter February 2015 Issue 10 Page 3 Cable Installation New methodology lays the ground for cheaper cable burial A new methodology for cable burial, named the Cable Burial Risk Assessment (CBRA) method, is set to be published by OWA. CBRA was developed in response to industry concerns that the existing burial protection index is too conservative and not bespoke to offshore wind. OWA identified significant potential for reducing the time and risks associated with the installation of subsea cables in offshore wind farms and the Testing has started on a project to understand the limits of dynamic stress a cable can withstand before it fails. The study will inform the design of free-hanging cables for offshore wind farms, so that they can be designed appropriately, r a t h e r t h a n o v e r l y conservative and expensive designs. Free-hanging cables could present a lower cost Last year OWA kicked off a project to investigate ways to optimise high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission assets. In particular, the study will assess the feasibility and cost benefit of combining AC and DC platforms; something which is made possible by moving to 6 6 k V i n t r a - a r r a y transmission. Following an initial feasibility study which confirmed that there are no major technical barriers for this option, a new risk-based method introduces a systematic approach to quantify the risk to subsea cables and set a target depth of lowering depending on the risk profile. It is anticipated, that the optimisation will result in a reduction in the Depth of Lowering in many ground conditions and external risk scenarios. As such, it may be anticipated that a number of potential benefits arise: R e d u c t i o n i n c o s t s associated with less time and, possibly, alternative vessels and equipment required conducting burial operations Increase in the potential for vessel / tool selection options most efficient and effective Easier access for cable recovery and repairs Reduction in cable handling during burial operations Testing commences on free-hanging cables study Electrical OWA study identifies potential to reduce AC transmission costs OWA has recently concluded a study to investigate how highvoltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission can be optimised using innovative or existing technology. The first part of the project identified three technologies for indepth analysis low-frequency AC (LFAC), mid-point reactive compensation, and active filters. solution to the dynamic cables currently on the market and also reduce the need for cable protection systems or J-tubes. In order to fully investigate and derisk the concept, OWA have commissioned a test rig to conduct mechanical and electrical testing of a range of cables in simulated dynamic conditions. The work, being undertaken at The high-level technical analysis performed in this study to assess the impact on the cost of energy suggests that low-frequency AC has the potential to reduce overall transmission costs and could be a viable a l t e r n a t i v e t o H V D C transmission for a range of distances to shore. Mid-point compensation has the range of optimisation scenarios for a combined AC/ DC platform are being evaluated against a current state of the art baseline of two AC satellite platforms and one HVDC platform. The a n a l y s i s w i l l i n c l u d e assessments of the feasibility and cost benefit of a variety of options, including: the phased development of wind farms; 2 smaller AC/DC platforms vs 1 big AC/DC platform scheme; monopole vs bipolar HVDC scheme; savings by avoiding a step up the University of Southampton, will improve understanding o f t h e limitations of f r e e - h a n g i n g cables. The first r e s u l t s a r e expected in February potential to reduce cost and e x t e n d t h e 5 0 H z transmission range, however the study highlighted that more in depth analysis on harmonics and transients are required in projects before implementing this option. OWA has started a follow-on project on LFAC that was kicked-off in the Technical Huge interest for HVDC expressed at workshop AC voltage level; and optimisation opportunities in transformers, switchgear, and other electrical components. A successful workshop was held in January between Arup, Tennet Offshore, Codan, OWA partners and 3 key suppliers of HVDC technology (ABB, Alstom and Siemens) to get feedback on the initial findings from the work, which has been conducted by Arup. The discussions were fruitful and the feedback from the OEMs reduces potential risk of damage The fit-for-purpose CBRA was presented in conferences in November and December and was positively received. In addition, a workshop was held in the Carbon Trust offices in December with cable installers that gave invaluable feedback for the CBRA guidance document, which will be published in February. Working Group meeting on 3rd February. The project will look in detail at all the t e c h n i c a l a n d m a r k e t c h a l l e n g e s i n t h e implementation of LFAC technology in the transmission of offshore wind farms and will investigate the benefit of moving into that technology, and the applicability of the technology to UK wind farms. Image: ABB will guide the further design work to be done in this work package. Ultimately, a risk and cost benefit analysis will be performed that will quantify t h e b e n e f i t s o f t h e optimisations.

4 Page 4 Issue 10 February 2015 Foundations OWA tenders for integrated design study A project to quantify the benefits of integrating foundation and turbine design at the FEED stage (Front End Engineering & Design) and to fully de-risk the Universal Foundation and Keystone IBGS (Twisted Jacket) concepts has b e e n t e n d e r e d. T h e Foundations technical working group (TWG) is in the process of evaluating the different proposals. OEMs have been invited to participate, with a preferred bidder expected by early-february and project kick-off set for mid-february. DNV-GL to evaluate lifted versus floated gravity base foundations OWA have kicked off a comparative study of lifted versus float-out-and-sink gravity-base structures (GBS) for offshore wind farms. DNV-GL will conduct the study, to understand key cost-drivers and risks associated with four different concepts (2 lifted GBS and 2 floated GBS). The designers of the structures have finalised their designs and D N V - G L i s c u r r e n t l y undertaking the analysis, which will compare the costs and technical challenges of the different concepts, covering b a l a n c e of p l a n t, yard requirements, transportation, and installation. Results are expected in March Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter Industry workshop set to tackle foundation asset integrity A project assessing methods to improve the lifetime asset i n t e g r i t y o f o f f s h o r e foundations is making good progress, with contractor Xodus having delivered findings from 5 out of 6 main tasks, covering Fatigue, Condition & Response Monitoring, Corrosion & C o a t i n g s, S e c o n d a r y S t r u c t u r e D e s i g n & Specification and Fabrication Quality; leaving Scour protection and design for the final issue, set to be completed in mid-february. A workshop to discuss the key learnings from the project has taken place on the 28 January in London. Testing starts on monopile optimisation project Piles have been installed at Dunkirk, France, and Cowden, UK, for the PISA (Pile Soil Analysis) study led by DONG Energy. Testing is about to start in Cowden, and will be followed with the same set-up in Dunkirk. The study aims to develop a new design methodology that represents the pile-soil interaction to optimise monopile designs and produce lighter offshore turbine foundations than the ones designed using current, more conservative methods (the known P-Y method). Testing of various pile sizes, Data accumulates from Universal Foundation trial installation and Dogger Bank meteorological mast monitoring Offshore tests to evaluate the installation of the Universal Foundation (UF) suction bucket and a reference cylindrical bucket have been successfully completed. The valuable data from the trials is currently being analysed, and early indications appear to confirm the technology s feasibility in a wide variety of sand and clay soils. Data collection has also been completed on the UF met mast installation at Dogger Bank. The data is currently being analysed by Universal Foundation, with results expected in the coming months. Image: Dominion Image: BAM-Van Oord Image: FORCE Technology representing different length/ diameter ratios will enable to v a l i d a t e t h e n e w methodology designed by an Academic consortia led by Oxford University. Final results are expected to be published in May Image: DONG Energy Vibro testing completed at Cuxhaven Field work has finished at Cuxhaven, Germany, on the VIBRO project being led by RWE to benchmark the performance of vibratory hammers against more conventional piling methods (i.e. impact hammers). The data analysis is expected to be completed by the middle of 2015, and early results appear to confirm the benefits of faster installation through the use of vibratory hammers.

5 Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter February 2015 Issue 10 Page 5 Wake Effects Guidelines on measuring array efficiency completed Image: Energy Digital CENER have delivered the final report for the Array Efficiency Predictors study, which includes best practice g u i d e l i n e s f o r characterising, measuring, and modelling atmospheric stability. Results show that wind speed is the main driver of array efficiency, OWA and DNV-GL team up to lessen the impact of turbulence intensity on fatigue Carbon Trust and DNV-GL held a training day on 22 January for the WindFarmer energy analyst software, designed to help developers model and optimise their turbine array layout. The training day was well received by attendees, who with stability and turbulence playing a secondary and interconnected role. The study also shows that numerical weather prediction models give a good proxy for stability assessment when direct measurements are not available. were able to better understand the use of the tool. The day also provided an opportunity for the TWG to ask questions and discuss comments directly with DNV- GL who are developing the software. Exploitation of measurement campaign data gains pace OWA will shortly be launching an expression of interest which will allow o r g a n i s a t i o n s w i t h c o m m e r c i a l l y - f o c u s e d research to have access to data from the OWA measurement campaign at Rodsand II. The EOI will outline that OWA will share the data with up to two organisations that show the most interesting proposal for analysis, with nearterm commercial benefit being a key evaluation metric. Key areas of interest to be studied, identified by the Wakes technical working group (TWG) include: Scanning LiDAR workshop brings together key industry players Carbon Trust recently held a workshop on 21 January to discuss and explore the potential uses of scanning LiDAR and how, where r e l ev a n t, t o e n s u re bankability. A range of Scanning LiDAR suppliers i n c l u d i n g L e o s p h e r e, Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi and Sgurr gave an overview of their technology, and in a f o c u s e d s e s s i o n o n bankability and exploitation the discussion included f u r t h e r s t a k e h o l d e r s including banks engineers and industry thought Wind shear Turbine controls Mesoscale and coastal effects Wake model validation and improvement Wake meandering Turbulence fatigue and asset lifetimes l e a d e r s. T h e wo rk s ho p discussed the potential uses of scanning LiDAR and identified a number of ways the technology can be best supported going forward, including focused validation c a m p a i g n s a n d t h e development of a roadmap for specific applications. Wind Energy article aimed at reducing uncertainties that drive cost of finance Image: DNV-GL OWA has conducted a series of 5 benchmarking exercises aimed at providing evidence to bank s e n g i n e e r s o f t h e t r u e uncertainties that can be expected of professionals running wind resource assessment models. The study shows that the currently estimated 50% uncertainty on the models should be significantly reduced.

6 Offshore Wind Accelerator Newsletter February 2015 Issue 10 Page 6 ORJIP (Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme) Soaring progress with bird monitoring at Thanet Offshore Wind Farm Using radars, cameras, bird observers and laser range finder, a substantial amount of data has been captured at Vattenfall s Thanet Offshore Wind farm, which has been recording data since August The equipment has been installed and will monitor the impact of the wind farm on local marine bird populations until June Carbon Trust would like to thank Vattenfall for their cooperation on the project so far, which is already proving to be of benefit for the industry. The initial analyses and results, issued in late January 2015, have been positive and indicate that the project will significantly help to inform co nse nt i ng decisions by demonstrating the true impact of offshore wind farms on birds. The discretionary project steering committee have since made a decision to continue with the project until completion at the end of ORJIP line up study on Acoustic Deterrent Devices ORJIP is currently in the scoping stage for a study aimed at gaining acceptance for the use of Acoustic Deterrent Devices ( A D D s ) a s a n alternative to Marine Mammal Observers. A number of developers a r e i n t e r e s t e d i n participating in the study, which has the potential to unlock significant cost red u ctio n dur i ng th e foundation installation phase. Carbon Trust will be meeting Workshop to review industry consenting challenges The challenges facing offshore wind consenting have evolved since the inception of ORJIP in Carbon Trust are therefore organising a workshop with the ORJIP developers to review the current and future consenting challenges and Image: WDCS w i t h D e v e l o p e r s a n d S t a t u t o r y N a t u r e Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) on 17th February to discuss and agree the direction the study should take. consider how ORJIP can help address these. Image: Niras/DHI Upcoming Events Date Event 4-5 Feb Wind Risk Management & Mitigation, London Feb Offshore Wind Substructures, Edinburgh Mar EWEA Offshore 2015, Copenhagen Apr Offshore Wind Structures, London OWA attracting interest from Asia The success of the OWA in Europe has prompted interest in emerging offshore wind markets in the US and Asia. Following the delivery of two c o n s u l t a n c y p r o j e c t s conducted on behalf of the British Embassy in Tokyo and Beijing last year, Carbon Trust have been engaging with contacts in Japan and China on how they can learn from the more mature European market. In Japan, the Ocean Energy Administration of Japan (OEAJ) are considering developing an equivalent RD&D programme to the OWA, which Carbon Trust are looking to support the development of. While the organisation of the supply chain in Japan is markedly different to Europe, there is interest to understand how a collaborative RD&D model could work in Japan, as well as identify opportunities for technology transfer between Japan and Europe. Meanwhile, Carbon Trust were recently invited to China to share learnings on e nv iro n me n ta l imp ac t, including knowledge gained through delivering the ORJIP joint industry programme. 21 Apr Deeper Water Offshore Wind Conference, London Apr Wind Resource Assessment Forum, London Jun SeaWorks 2015, Southampton Upcoming meetings: SteerCo: 17 Mar; TBC May TWG-A: 17 Feb; 31 Mar TWG-C: 4 Feb; TBC Apr TWG-E: 3 Feb; 14 Apr TWG-F: TBC Feb TWG-W: Feb 10/11; Apr 14/15 TWG-ORJIP: 4 Mar