De Offshore-Windindustrie
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Archive for the category “offshore”
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The Aeolus is one of the most advanced offshore wind seejacking vessels in the world. It’s German-built, Dutch owned and operated by the Van Oord offshore enterprise.
The site marinetraffic.com offers the opportunity to follow global shipping. Just register and identify a ship of your choice and from then on you will receive email updates about events concerning that ship, like departure, arrival, berthing. Fortunately have not yet received mails reporting capsizing or sinking.
Yours faithfully has registered as well and chosen the Aeolus. The Aeolus is currently busy constructing the Belgian Norther offshore windfarm, see map below. The Aeolus picks up monopiles, towers, nacelles and rotor blades in Vlissingen, or Flushing as the town is known in Anglosphere (think “Flushing” and “Flushing Meadows tennis tournament“)
Belgian Norther windfarm
Here a summary of the most recent marinetraffic.com mails:
2019-04-21 21:52 – A new photo of AEOLUS has just been uploaded.
The photo shows the Aeolus, carrying 4 wind towers, nacelles and ditto rotor blades, leaving Flushing and heading for the Norther windpark in statu nascendi.
2019-04-21 15:30 – Departure: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
2019-04-20 18:40 – Arrival: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
2019-04-17 07:50 – Departure: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSING
2019-04-16 10:25 – Arrival: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
2019-04-12 05:28 – Departure: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
2019-04-09 20:51 – Arrival: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
2019-04-05 13:49 – Departure: AEOLUS, Port: VLISSINGEN
OK, now let’s evaluate this data a little in a back-of-an-envelope calculation. The Aeolus is carrying 4 x 8.4 MW = 33.2 MW worth of nameplate wind power. Total Dutch (still largely fossil-based) power generation capacity = 29 GW. Average Dutch power consumption is 13 GW. How much time does it take for the Aeolus to install 29 GW of offshore windpower in order to complete the intended renewable energy transition?
From the list above you can conclude that the time for a full installation cycle can be 4, 5 or 7 days. Let’s say 6 days. Note that the installation of a complete wind turbines consists of 2 parts: 1. ramming a monopile into the sea bed and 2. placing the wind tower, nacelle and rotorblades on top of the monopile. In other words, it takes 2 x 6 = 12 days to install 4 wind turbines of 8.4 MW each or 33.2 MW in total.
In order to fully replace the total Dutch largely fossil-based power production of 29 GW, that would take 12 x 29,000/33.2 = 10,500 days or 29 years. Mind you, this is nameplate power and a capacity factor of 50% needs to be taken into account. That figure is however offset by the fact that in a couple of years 12-15 MW turbines will be installed, that can be handled by the same Aeolus. So we stick with 29 years. In other words, this single ship Aeolus alone is able to carry out the intended Dutch energy transition until 2050, the planned end date of said transition.
Note that this is a thought experiment. A lot of wind a solar capacity is planned to be installed onshore. On the other hand, as a rule of thumb, for a complete decarbonization of an average advanced western economy you need roughly 2 times the existing power generation capacity to keep the same standard of living, provided you replace conventional heating with heat pumps, implement thorough insulation, drive e-vehicles, etc.
The goal of the exercise is to point out that the renewable energy transition is a realistic enterprise and that the time frame of 2050 is doable.
[wikipedia.org] – MarineTraffic
[norther.be] – Norther project site
[deepresource] – The Giants of a New Energy Age
Current position Aeolus at the time of writing this post.
Largest Wind Park in the World Borssele Under Construction
The construction of the 2 x 700 MW Borssele offshore wind park in the Netherlands off the coast of the Zeeland province, is in full swing, with planned delivery dates 2019 & 2020 resp. Unfortunately no pictures as of yet of the actual wind turbines itself, but instead of the construction of the transformer platform.
The Borssele nuclear power station produces 400 MW. At full wind speed the Borssele wind park will produce 3.5 times as much. Food for thought for the dense “wind energy is not dense enough” crowd.
[nl.wikipedia.org] – Windpark Borssele
[nl.wikipedia.org] – Kerncentrale Borssele
World’s Largest Chinese Jackup Vessel With 2000 Ton Crane
Lifting capacity: 2000 ton, sufficient for 10 MW turbines.
[xindemarinenews.com] – World’s largest offshore wind platform delivered in E.China
Kick-off Building Nexans Aurora Submarine Cable Layer
The hull is to be built in Crist, Poland. The rest at Ulstein Verft in Norway. Completion date 2021. Purpose: connection offshore wind farms with onshore grids.
[offshorewind.biz] – Ulstein Kicks Off Nexans Aurora Construction
New DEME Jackup Ship Apollo to be Inaugurated Tomorrow
Croatian built, Uljanik Shipyard. Leg length 107 m. Crane 800 ton. Owner: Flemish DEME Group.
[offshorewind.biz] – Apollo Readies for Naming Ceremony
[maritiemnieuws.nl] – Nieuwste self-propelled jack-up vessel ‘Apollo’ naar eerste opdracht
[wikipedia.org] – DEME
[wikipedia.org] – Uljanik
1600 Ton Offshore Wind Monopiles in China
To be built in a series of 500. Realization 5 months. Principal: SPIC Guangdong Electric Power Co., Ltd. Destined for Chinese record water depth of 37 m and 3.2 GW project power.
[offshorewind.biz] – Record-Breaking Monopiles Roll Out in China
Blue Piling Reduces Offshore Wind Environmental Cost
Underwater noise produced by the BLUE Hammer is approximately 20 dB lower than noise produced by conventional hydraulic hammers. Lower noise levels result in lower environmental loads, reducing the costs for noise mitigation and making noise mitigation unnecessary in most conditions.
[fistuca.com] – Company site
[tue.nl] – Noise reduction by new piling technology
[offshorewind.biz] – Blue hammer strikes at maasvlakte-2
[offshorewind.biz] – BLUE Hammer Completes Offshore Test
[offshorewind.biz] – BLUE Hammer Driving Piles In Quietly
[offshorewind.biz] – Sif Showcases First BLUE Hammer Steel
[offshorewind.biz] – Huisman Takes Piece of Pile Driving Specialist
[portofrotterdam.com] – BLUE Piling drives monopiles into the sea bed the smarter way
Shell Plans Return to UK Offshore Wind
Royal Dutch Shell says it is considering bidding for rights to develop offshore wind farms in UK waters as the British-Dutch oil and gas giant seeks to re-enter the nation’s sector after a 10-year absence.
Dorine Bosman, Shell’s wind chief, said the company was interested in seabed leases due to be awarded during 2019 by the Crown Estate, which controls Britain’s coast. The Dutch-based firm left the UK offshore wind sector when it sold its stake in the London Array project 10 years ago.
A global pioneer in the field, the UK was one of the key offshore wind markets Shell wanted to enter, she said. The oil major says it is investing US$2 billion a year in developing “new energies” or low-carbon power.
Shell co-owns a minor offshore wind farm in the Netherlands and a larger Dutch project which is under construction. In December it spent US$175 million entering the tiny US market, acquiring the rights to New Jersey and Massachusetts seabed leases that could potentially generate 4.1 gigawatts of wind power.
[energy-reporters.com] – Shell plans return to UK offshore wind
Dutch Government Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030
Seat Dutch government The Hague
Vision document of the Dutch minestry of economic affairs and climate regarding the Dutch offshore wind policy.
For footnoots, see link to the online version.
[english.rvo.nl] – Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030 (2018)
Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat
Subject: Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030
Dear Madam President,
The Dutch North Sea has the potential to play a significant role in achieving the national contribution to the goals of the Paris climate agreement and the necessary sustainable development of our energy supply towards 2050. A number of crucial steps toward achieving this were set out in the Energy Agreement of 2013.1 The basis for the Netherlands’ long-term energy policy was laid down in the Energy Report,2 the subsequent Energy Dialogue3 and the Energy Agenda.4 In the Coalition Agreement, the Dutch Government will continue to develop that policy and will be actively pursuing the implementation thereof.
The current realisation of offshore wind energy under the Energy Agreement has seen and, until 2023, will continue to see crucial steps being taken for the sustainable development of the Dutch energy supply. The prospect of five calls for tender has given market participants the confidence to invest and has altered risk perception. This has resulted in a major reduction in costs. The Government wishes to retain the market’s confidence and the current momentum and intends to issue the remaining calls for tender for the Energy Agreement within the next two years to complete the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2023.5
At the same time, the national government wishes to take the next step to further develop offshore wind energy for the period 2024 to 2030, and wishes to kick off preparations for this endeavour. To that end, this letter contains the key elements for an Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap for the period 2024 to 2030. In this way, I am honouring the commitment I made to the House during the General Consultation on Energy of 18 January.6
Unleashing Europe’s Offshore Wind Potential 2030
The three major European offshore wind zones: North Sea, Atlantic and Baltic.
From the report conclusions:
- Offshore wind is expected to produce 7% to 11% of the EU’s electricity demand by 2030.
- Offshore wind could in theory generate between 2,600 TWh and 6,000 TWh per year at a competitive cost – €65/MWh or below.
- 25% of the EU’s electricity demand could, in theory, be met by offshore wind energy at an average of €54/MWh in the most favourable locations.
Baseline scenario: in the coming decade the British, Dutch, Germans and French (in that order) will be the largest installers of new offshore wind capacity.
Likewise, upside scenario.
2030 projected installed offshore wind capacity per country (baseline and upside scenarios).
Tenders Windpark IJmuiden Ver
Timeline Dutch offshore wind. Red-already operational. Blue-tenders accepted in 2023. Green-tenders accepted in 2030.
The Dutch government intends to increase the speed of the roll-out of offshore wind, simply because it can afford to do so, since the financial markets and offshore industry are willing to build new capacity without subsidy, as long as they are guaranteed to be allowed to bring offshore wind electricity onshore and compete with other suppliers, greatly benefiting from the Paris climate Accords. In contrast to what the map says, the tender for 4 GW located in IJmuiden Ver is expected to be inked by 2023, not 2030. That would be 60% of the 2024-2030 ambition. Government CPB (Dutch Central Planning Agency) scenario’s for offshore wind development project up to 75 GW in the Dutch part of the North Sea in 2050. Assuming a capacity factor for large (12 MW) turbines of 0.65, this would imply 50 GW on average. Current average Dutch electricity consumption is merely 13 GW. 25 GW would suffice to power the entire Dutch economy, including heat-pump-based space heating and electrified transport, leaving 25 GW for export.
It could very well be that the bottle neck of the roll out will be timely installation of sufficient storage facilities, although for some time to come, excess electricity could be pumped into the European grid.
The ambition is to install 11.5 GW before 2030:
[english.rvo.nl] – Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030
[meewind.nl] – Onderweg naar IJmuiden ver
[meewind.nl] – Routekaart windenergie op zee 2030
Tenders Windpark Hollandse Kust Zuid I-IV 1460 MW
After completion of Borssele I-V wind farms in 2020, the 7 GW “Hollandse Kust” project will be next, region “Zuid” first. This is the first time 12 MW machines will be installed.
[english.rvo.nl] – Hollandse Kust (Zuid) Wind Farm Zone
(On 19 March 2018, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy issued permits for Hollandse Kust (zuid) Wind Farm Zone Sites I and II to Chinook CV, a subsidiary of Nuon/Vattenfall.)
[biedboek.nl] – Tender wind op zee – Hollandse kust (zuid) kavels III en IV
(Expected first half 2019)
[4coffshore.com] – Hollandse Kust Zuid-Holland-I/II-Chinook-(tender-2017)
[4coffshore.com] – Hollandse Kust Zuid-Holland-III/IV-(tender-2019)
“Hollandse Kust Zuid” is the bottom-right of the designated 5 “Hollandse Kust” Regions.
Offshore Wind in NW-Europe
[topsectorenergie.nl] – TKI Offshore Wind
Offshore Wind – NW-European division of labor of the 4 largest players
Siemens Gamesa & Van Oord To Build 380 MW Fryslân Wind Farm
Power: 382 MW
Turbines: 89 4.3 MW Siemens-Gamesa
Operational: mid 2021
Construction cost: 500 million euro
[windparkfryslan.nl] – Official project site
[4coffshore.com] – Windpark Fryslân Offhore Wind Farm
[cleantechnica.com] – Siemens Gamesa & Van Oord Chosen To Build 380 Megawatt Fryslân Nearshore Wind Farm
[offshorewind.biz] – All Clear for Windpark Fryslân Construction
Britain Rules the Waves of Offshore Wind
This graph depicts the total amount of offshore wind projects that are “in the pipeline”, a branch of sport dominated by Europeans, who are lucky to own large, shallow water tables in the North Sea, Irish Sea and Baltic Sea, with excellent wind speeds (>10 m/s average). These 600,000 km2 combined have the potential to supply the entire EU with clean electricity three times the current consumption. Currently the British are adopting wind energy at a breath-taking speed, pun intended, although the developers and equipment producers are mainly continental Europeans, that is Danish, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians, Swedish, whose industries are growing rapidly and have the potential to become the successors of the Anglo Seven Sisters oil giants of the 20th century.
[cleantechnica.com] – UK Leads Offshore Wind Rankings As Global Pipeline Increases 10% In 2018, Reports RenewableUK
[deepresource] – The Enormous Energy Potential of the North Sea
[wikipedia.org] – Seven Sisters (oil companies)
[deepresource] – Gold Mine North Sea
[deepresource] – Goldmine Windenergy
