Is the Offshore Wind Sector in Crisis?

True Cost of Offshore Wind Energy

YouTube text:

In the quest for clean energy, offshore wind stands out – not just for its towering turbines which are already as tall as the Eiffel tower and set to grow further, but offshore wind also stands out for its surprising economics. Despite being about twice as expensive as its onshore counterpart, offshore wind is riding a wave of rapid global expansion. What drives this surge in investment towards seemingly pricier energy? In this video we’ll navigate the depths of offshore wind. We’ll uncover the innovations making these titanic turbines possible, explore why their energy is more prized, and dive into the tumultuous waters of 2023 that nearly capsized the industry. Can offshore wind chart a course towards a more sustainable horizon? Let’s set sail to find out.

Bookmarks:
00:00 Intro
00:54 How do turbines need to be changed to suit offshore environment?
01:24 Different types of support structure for offshore environment
03:39 Size
04:58 Corrosion
05:29 Reliability
06:05 Advantages & Cost Offshore Wind
07:13 Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of Offshore Wind
08:09 Offshore Wind in Denmark
09:27 Non-financial benefits of Offshore Wind
10:39 Value of Offshore Wind – Complementary Generation Profiles
11:21 Matching Generation with Demand
11:43 Offshore Wind in New York
12:08 Offshore Wind in Western Australia
12:51 Offshore Wind Crisis

Note: this is US data, in Europe the picture for the cost of offshore wind is, em, rosier.

[lazard.com] – 2023 Levelized Cost Of Energy+

14 MW Turbines Produces 359 MWh in 24h

If we postulate a “street value” of 1 euro for a kWh, this machine generated 359,000 € worth of electricity in a single stormy day.

As a rule-of-thumb, 1 MW wind capacity costs 1.3 million €, so this 14 MW monster would require 18 million €. That machine would pay itself back with merely 51 of these stormy days.

[rechargenews.com] – One day, one turbine, 359MWh | Siemens Gamesa claims new wind power world record
[independent.co.uk] – Wind power world record broken by ‘revolutionary’ turbine

Australia’s First Six Offshore Wind Zones Unveiled

YouTube Text:

Australia is another step closer to having offshore wind power with the federal government announcing six places where projects could be built. The move is part of Labor’s pledge to rapidly ramp up renewable production in order to hit its climate targets. Political reporter James Glenday has more.

Construction 3.6 GW OWF Doggerbank has Begun

Installation of the 277 wind turbine foundations has started on the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm which is being developed 130 km off the Yorkshire coast, the UK.

Installer: DEME
Turbines: Siemens & GE Haliade 14 MW machines
Completion date: 2026

[offshorewind.biz] – First Foundation Stands at World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm
[wikipedia.org] – Dogger Bank Wind Farm
[wikipedia.org] – DEME

Nordsee German 433 MW OWF to Produce Hydrogen at Sea

Nordsee Two, a German offshore wind project owned by RWE (51 per cent) and Northland Power (49 per cent), is planned to include an electrolyser to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of producing hydrogen at sea.

[offshorewind.biz] – New German Offshore Wind Farm Planned to Use 15 MW Turbines and Include Hydrogen Production

Tetrahedron Plans 130 m Crane for 20 MW Turbines

The Netherlands-based Tetrahedron, together with its consortium members Jack-Up Barge BV, TNO, Shell, and GE, has unveiled plans to construct a 130-metre tall prototype crane for next-generation offshore wind turbines.

[offshorewind.biz] – Dutch Company to Build Prototype Crane for 20 MW Offshore Wind Turbines
[offshorewindinnovators.nl] – Tetrahedron winner offshore wind innovators awards 2020

Oceans of Energy – North Sea Offshore Solar

The Dutch company “Oceans of Energy” has installed 50 kW worth of solar modules 15 km out of the coast of The Hague, and so far they have weathered 140 kmh storms and 10 meter waves.

Oceans of Energy has raised its ambition level and wants to roll out in 3 phases: 1, 10 and 100 MW resp. The big selling point of this technology is that no valuable and very scarce Dutch land resources need to be occupied with solar panels. The Dutch part of the North Sea has an area of 57,800 km. With an annual solar radiation of ca. 1000 kWh/m2 and a solar panel efficiency of 20%, this area would in theory be sufficient to generate an annual 11,560 TWh. Note that Dutch annual electricity consumption is 120 TWh or merely 1% of the total Dutch North Sea solar potential. And then there is that 85 GW of wind potential.

Who needs Saudi-Arabia if you have the Netherlands?

All-in-all, more than sufficient to power the entire EU. Not going to happen, of course. Cheaper energy in the form of hydrogen from for instance, Africa, will limit the economic energy harvesting potential of the North Sea. But to bridge a few decades of energy starvation due to geopolitical factors, like the Ukraine war? Who knows?

[offshore-energy.biz] – Dutch floating solar unit weathers through major North Sea storms intact
[offshore-energy.biz] – Oceans of Energy plans twentyfold scale-up of floating solar plant in North Sea
[offshore-energy.biz] – Oceans of Energy’s floating solar system weathers through all North Sea storms
[wikipedia.org] – Floating solar

Vattenfall Offers Hydrogen Cluster in OSW Bid

In the coming Autumn, the bidding will be opened for building Hollandse Kust West offshore wind park. Vattenfalls stands out in that they offer to feed the 45 MW output of Kavel VII (parcel 7) into electrolysers, mounted in the three wind turbine towers. In this way, expensive cabling can be left out completely. The hydrogen will be brought onshore via a pipeline.

Vattenfall has previous experience with hydrogen generation at sea in Scotland, with a single turbine.

[vattenfall.com] – Vattenfall wil in Nederland eerste waterstofcluster ter wereld bouwen

Updated 21 GW Dutch Offshore Wind Plans Until 2030

The original, pre-Ukraine war, 11 GW Dutch offshore wind plans are indicated in light-blue. In orange, the 10 GW extra offshore wind parks.

Back in May, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany set a target of developing at least 65 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and at least 150 GW by 2050.

The annual Dutch electricity consumption is for years fairly stable at 120 billion kWh or 13.7 GW on average 24/7/365. For a 100% renewable energy base, you need double that amount, or 27.4 GW continuously. With a capacity factory of 0.5 for offshore wind, that would amount to 54.8 GW name plate offshore wind.

[offshorewind.biz] – The Netherlands Sets Tendering Timelines for 13.4 GW of Offshore Wind