From PESWiki

Directory of technologies, companies, and resources relating to off-shore, floating platform wind power systems.

Overview

• Wind Power That Floats (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20500/?nlid=978&a=f) - Several companies are on their way to demonstrating off-shore, floating platform wind power systems by borrowing heavily from oil and gas offshore platform technology. (MIT Technology Review; April 2, 2008)
  

Projects

Cape Wind

• Wind, out of the Blue (http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2008/04/04/wind-out-of-the-blue?blog=41) - If Fortune 500 companies like Norsk Hydro (now StatoilHydro) and Siemens haven't deployed a single floating prototype in six years and predict a 10-15 year wait for viability, it's quite a stretch to imagine that Blue H could install a 120-turbine, billion-dollar wind farm 45 miles off New Bedford now, qualifying it as an "alternative" to Cape Wind. (CapeCodToday; April 4, 2008).

• Cape Wind Project (http://www.capewind.org/index.php)

DOWNViND

• DOWNViND website (http://www.downvind.com/home/index.shtml)
• REpower FOR DOWNViND (http://www.beatricewind.co.uk/press/viewitem.asp?id=6) - (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deepwater), aims to understand the impact of deepwater wind farms, prove the deepwater wind farm concept, share learnings across the industry and pioneer unobtrusive deepwater wind farms. (Beatrice Windfarm demonstrator project; Feb 2, 2005)

• European Offshore Wind Conference 2007 Status Report (http://www.eow2007.info/index.php?id=91) - The project has achieved a number of major successes, notably:
  
• First 5MW turbine deployed offshore
• First application of jacket substructure in offshore wind
• First onshore assembly of tower turbine and blades
• First offshore installation from a floating vessel
• Successful development of safe access system
• Comprehensive environmental research programme

HyWind

(2.04 Minutes) Hywind
(YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0oN5G3WVf0); July 4, 2007)
_ _ _ _

(.28 Minutes) Sway
Wind Power SWAY (Part of HyWind Project) (YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROl8IiuaX8); May 12, 2008)

Floating Wind Power Companies

StatOil Hydro < Norsk Hydro

• World's first floating wind farm to be built in North Sea (http://environment.independent.co.uk/lifestyle/article2714191.ece) - Siemens has teamed up with a Norwegian energy group, Norsk Hydro, to install a wind farm in the middle of the North Sea, beginning with one test unit in under two years, ending with 200 turbines by 2014. The turbines would access the strong off-shore winds, and would not be visible from land. (The Independent; UK; June 27, 2007)
  • Update: Norsk Hydro no longer is involved in Offshore hydro development (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statoil) and became part of Statoil to do aluminum manufacturing only. StatoilHydro is their replacement for the HyWind project (http://www.statoilhydro.com/en/technologyinnovation/newenergyandrenewables/wind/vindtilhavs/pages/default.aspx)
    

• Floating Wind Turbines (http://pesn.com/2005/11/03/9600200_NorskHydro_deep-off-shore-wind/) - Captures off-shore winds, while sparing expense of footing. Norwegian utility expects production prototype in 2007. (http://hydro.com)
  

MIT

• Deep-sea oil rigs inspire MIT designs for giant wind turbines (http://pesn.com/2006/09/20/9500238_MIT_floating_wind_turbines/) - Oil rig floatation technology adapted for off-shore wind turbines, enabling deployment in the higher winds, and out of view of the on-shore horizon. (PESN; Sept. 22, 2006)
  

Stansbury Resources

• Floating offshore wind energy and hydrogen fuel generating company tipping to Europe or Asia (http://pesn.com/2005/10/31/9600198_Offshore_Wind_Hydrogen/) - Inventor Tom L. Lee, Ph.D. has developed a floating wind turbine platform concept for accessing the higher winds out at sea, and converting wind energy efficiently to hydrogen and electricity. Would prefer to license its manufacture and distribution to a U.S. party. (PESN; Oct. 31, 2006)
  • Slashdot discussion (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/03/0039235)
    

Platforms

• VersaBuoy Sea Platforms (http://www.vbuoy.com/thesystem-applications.html) - New system is 1/2 the cost of existing deepwater oil platforms; and is modular, opening many new possibilities, including off-shore wind and wave energy harnessing.
  

Blue H

• Blue H Group (http://www.bluehgroup.com/)

• Offshore Wind at an Affordable Price (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1203/) - Blue H (http://www.bluehgroup.com/index.php) Submerged Deepwater Platform technology is adapted from floating platforms developed by the oil industry, to support a tower and a wind turbine. Their wind farms would be so far from shore as to be virtually invisible, where the winds are stronger and are more constant. (EcoGeek; Dec. 6, 2007)
  

• Proposal could calm storm over wind farm (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/15/proposal_could_calm_storm_over_wind_farm/) - In December, Blue H launched the world's first floating turbine, an 80-kilowatt demonstration project off the coast of southern Italy. Soon, the turbine will be moved about 10 miles offshore to water more than 350 feet deep. (Boston Globe; March 15, 2008)
• Floating wind farm proposed off Vineyard relies on unproven technology (http://www.capewind.org/news866.htm) - Blue H wants to build 120 floating wind turbines in deep water 23 miles off Martha’s Vineyard and sought government approval to install a test turbine. (Cape Wind; March 15, 2008)

Statoil Hydro < Sway

• Deep-Water Wind: Out of Sight (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1397/) - Sway (http://www.sway.no/) is developing a deepwater system that will allow turbines to be situated farther out to sea where winds can be steadier and stronger, hidden from all save a few passing ships. It is based on a floating elongated pole extending far below the water surface with ballast at the bottom part. (EcoGeek; Feb. 25, 2008)
  • Update: Statoil now owns Sway (http://www.statoilhydro.com/en/TechnologyInnovation/NewEnergyAndRenewables/Wind/VindTilHavs/Pages/Sway.aspx) as part of the HyWind project.
    

Status

• Norway considers floating windmills (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080429.wturbines0429/BNStory/Science/home) - Giant turbines the size of jumbo jets bobbing on the North Sea may soon become as common off Norway as oil and gas platforms. (Globe & Mail; April 29, 2008)

Inflated/Floating

Magenn

• Directory:Magenn

HeliWind

• HeliWind's twist on floating wind generation - The HeliWind design by the Hawaii Consulting Group replaces the blades and tower of a conventional wind turbine with a lighter-than-air helical balloon and lowers the generator to the ground. With generating costs expected at around $0.034/kW-hr, the design is expected to go into production in June 2011. (PESWiki; July 6, 2008)
  

Directories

• European Offshore Wind 2009 Conference (http://www.eow2009.info/)

See also

• Directory:Wind:Offshore
• Directory:Wind

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