POWER May 2020 - 24

WIND ENERGY
nounced two pilot offshore projects,
saying it wants at least one floating turbine
installation operating in 2022, with a
second soon after. The company said it's
looking to install floating turbines alongside
bottom-fixed projects.
Oil and Gas Companies Take
Investment Roles
Much of the investment in offshore wind
is coming from companies with a long
history of energy development-namely,
oil and gas firms, in part because of
their experience drilling and working in
offshore environments. Mike Williams,
deputy director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based
BlueGreen Alliance, in an
interview with POWER said, " The folks
behind Vineyard Wind, all of them have
sizable backing, and most are out of the
oil and gas industry. Offshore wind is
such a capital-intensive effort, I couldn't
imagine a small startup participating.
That's where you see the oil and gas
folks coming in, because they have the
human infrastructure and financial infrastructure.
I definitely see it playing out
that way, with the big oil and gas companies
shifting their focus, not necessarily
away from oil and gas, but to get a new,
consistent revenue source. "
It's also no surprise European companies
are driving much of the offshore
wind work in the U.S. " Most of the companies
that we have seen so far have
been a mixture of international firms
with large offshore wind portfolios, such
3. GE's Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine features a 220-meter rotor, a 107-meter blade, and
digital capabilities. One Haliade-X 12-MW turbine can generate up to 67 GWh of gross annual
energy production, based on wind conditions at a typical German North Sea site. Courtesy: GE
Renewable Energy
dence, Rhode Island. Ørsted bought
Providence-based Deepwater Wind in
2018; Deepwater Wind was the original
operator of Block Island.
Ørsted, whose U.S. operations are
jointly headquartered in Providence and
Boston, wants to use the hub to meet
with U.S.-based startups and small
companies to discuss early-stage technologies
for the offshore wind industry.
Thomas Nygaard Hamann, Ørsted's head
of strategy, digital and innovation based
in Copenhagen, said the company hopes
and underwater cabling to transmit power
from the installation site to onshore
substations and storage facilities.
" The offshore wind industry has tremendous
long-term growth potential as
new technology developments will contribute
to making offshore wind a more
competitive source of renewable energy, "
Vincent Schellings, general manager
for Engineering & Product Development
for Offshore Wind at General Electric,
told POWER. He noted GE's Haliade-X
12-MW turbine (Figure 3), considered at
" The folks behind Vineyard Wind, all of them have sizable backing,
and most are out of the oil and gas industry. Offshore wind is such
a capital-intensive effort, I couldn't imagine a small startup
participating. That's where you see the oil and gas folks coming
in, because they have the human infrastructure and financial
infrastructure. "
as Ørsted and Avangrid, mixed with regional
utilities like Eversource, PSEG,
and Dominion, " said Bond. " I think based
off the lessons learned from Europe, the
international firms realize that they understand
how to develop the offshore
portion of the work, but need the support
from the local utilities in the permitting
and onshore portion of the work. "
Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind, a division
of Denmark-based Ørsted, recently
opened a U.S. innovation hub in Provi24
this
will help companies bring solutions
to the offshore market faster, accelerating
the U.S. industry.
" In essence, a lot of this is really about
taking the global know-how that we bring
on this industry and connecting that to
novel innovation in the U.S., " said Hamann.
Technology Advancements
New technologies also are expected to
drive growth in offshore wind, as improvements
are made in turbine design
www.powermag.com
-Mike Williams, deputy director of the BlueGreen Alliance
the moment the world's most powerful
offshore wind turbine. " One turbine will
generate enough clean power for up to
16,000 European households, helping
to make offshore wind a more competitive
source of energy ... we consider the
Haliade-X the right turbine at the right
time to serve the growing offshore wind
market in the U.S. and globally. "
Siemens Gamesa is considered the
top player in the offshore wind turbine
market, with more than 70% of the
POWER | May 2020

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POWER May 2020

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