Andrew R. Henderson

Offshore wind in Europe: The current state of the art

Abstract After several decades of theoretical developments, desk studies, experimental wind turbines and prototype windfarms, the first large-scale commercial developments of offshore windfarms are now being built. To support and accelerate this development, the European Commission funded a project, ‘Concerted Action on Offshore Wind Energy in Europe’ (CA-OWEE), which aimed to gather and distribute knowledge on all aspects of offshore wind energy, including: offshore technology, electrical integration, economics, environmental impacts and political aspects. The partners are from a wide range of fields and include developers, utilities, consultants, research institutes and universities. Andrew R. Henderson, Section Wind Energy, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands and other authors give an overview of the findings of the project.

Floating Offshore Wind Energy - A Review of the Current Status and an Assessment of the Prospects

In principle, appropriately designed floating support structures need not be more massive nor costly than the jackets or tripods being deployed in German North Sea waters and elsewhere. A number of significant challenges remain, not least the current limited operating experience but also the limited availability of comprehensive design and modelling capabilities, and demonstrated and widely applicable safe and cost-effectively installation methods. This paper assesses the prospects in terms of technology principles, challenges and the potential resource.

Feasibility Study of Floating Windfarms in Shallow Offshore Sites

This paper reports on a feasibility study of potential floating structures suitable for wind turbines in shallow seas (around 50 m). It describes the concepts, the evaluation and the selection process and includes ancillary issues, such as grid connection and O & M. Finally, it reports detailed analysis of the concept selected as most suitable in the circumstances, namely, a ‘triple-floater’ construction. A main conclusion is that although, in this case, this technology may not yet be ready for commercial application, the gap to economic viability is closing.

Wind power moves out to sea

The energy harnessed by onshore wind farms has grown enormously over the last decade. They now generate more than 10% of all electricity in certain regions, such as Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and Gotland in Sweden. But this expansion has not been without its problems. Some people regard wind farms as an eyesore, with recent plans to build a wind farm on the Isle of Skye in the UK facing stiff opposition from some local residents. Resistance of this kind also occurs in other countries.