FLOATING WIND TURBINES

1
FLOATING WIND TURBINES
2
Introduction

• Renewable energy is energy which comes
  from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rai
  n, tides, and geothermal heat, which are
  renewable.
• Climate change concerns, high oil prices, and
  increasing government support, accelerates the
  growth of this sector.
• In 2008, about 19 of global final energy
  consumption came from renewable sources.
• With nations pledging to reduce the carbon
  emission to counter global warming, the need for
  systems that generate renewable energy has been
• on a rise.

3
WIND POWER

• Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into
  a useful form of energy, such as
• wind turbines to make electricity, 
• wind mills for mechanical power, 
• wind pumps for pumping water or drainage,
• sails to propel ships
• Wind energy has been the worlds fastest growing
  source of electricity during the past decade,
  with over 20 annual growth
• Energy production from wind was 340 TWh, which is
  about 2 of worldwide electricity usage.

4
Wind turbines

• A wind turbine is a rotary device that
  extracts energy from the wind.
• If the mechanical energy is used directly by
  machinery the machine is called a windmill.
• If the mechanical energy is instead converted
  to electricity, the machine is called a wind
  generator.
• A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the
  same location used for production of electric
  power.
• Wind farms and wind turbines are built onshore as
  well as offshore.

5
Floating wind turbines

• A floating wind turbine is an offshore wind
  turbine mounted on a floating structure.
• As of December 2009, there have been two
  operational floating wind turbines
• BLUE -H   80 kW
• 21 km off the coast in waters 113
  meters deep, southeast of Italy.
• HYWIND 2.3 mW
• 10 km off the coast of Karmoy, Norway
  in 220-m deep waters.

6
The need

• Power Output from a wind turbine is proportional
  to the cube of wind velocity
• and to the square of the rotor diameter.
• The wind can be stronger up to 10 m/sec and
  steadier over water due to the absence of
  topographic features.
• Existing fixed-bottom wind turbine technology
  deployments had been limited to water depths of
  30-meters.
• Worldwide wind resources are abundant over
  deep-waters.
• Wind should be steady and consistent for the
  smooth working of turbines.
• Noise and visual pollution created by fixed
  turbines near the costal areas are to be avoided.

7
power curve
Simplified wind turbine model.
8
Worldwide wind speed distribution
Wind velocity increases from lighter to darker
shade. From 1m/s to 10 m/s
9
Deep water offshore turbines
10
features

• Floating platforms can be classified into.
• single-turbine-floater (one wind
  turbine mounted on a
• 
  floating structures).
• multiple turbine
  floater (multiple wind turbines mounted
• 
  on a floating structures)
• The electricity generated is sent to shore
  through undersea HVDC cables.
• There are mainly three types of systems used for
  station keeping for the turbine.
• Barge System ,Spar Buoy
  System ,Tension Leg System

11
Three major designs

• Barge Systems
• Spar Buoy
• Systems
• Tension Leg
• Systems

12
Wind turbine
13
mooring

• It is the process of fixing the
• floating structure to the seabed.
• Absorb dynamic loads, transfer
  
• load to seabed
• TWO TYPES-
• Catenary
• Taut leg

14
Forces acting on the turbine
Hydrodynamic loads Aerodynamic loads
Horizontal and Vertical loads Dynamic and
static loads
15
drivers

• Higher wind velocities allow higher capacity
  turbines to be installed.
• Thus giving much more power output per
  installation when compared to fixed turbines.
• Lower Offshore Wind Turbulence Longer Turbine
  Life 25-30 Years
• Wind is-
• Free
• Inexhaustible
• Environmentally Friendly
• Clean
• Safe
• Cost Effective Energy Source.

16
Challenges

• Huge initial cost when compared to other
  renewable energy sources.
• The economics of deepwater wind turbines will be
  determined by the costs of the floating structure
  and power distribution system when compared to a
  fixed turbine.
• Enough buoyancy to support the weight of the
  turbine and to restrain pitch, roll and heave
  motions .
• Only at few sites with high wind speeds can
  compete economically
• with conventional power production ,at
  present.

17
Challenges(contd..)

• Offshore construction is more complicated and it
  should survive severe marine environments.
• Maintainace is high when compared to on-shore
  turbines.
• Complexity of the system.

18
conclusions

• Blue H has successfully decommissioned the unit
  as they are planning to build a 38-unit
  deepwater wind farm at the same location.
• The US State of Maine will be soliciting
  proposals in September 2010 to build the world's
  first floating, commercial wind farm.
• Portugal govt is partnered with Principle Power
  to install a multi-megawatt full-scale floating
  wind turbine off the coast of Portugal in 2011.
• The enormous wind energy resource offshore,
  covering more than 70 of the Earths surface,
  can be effectively tapped resulting in a cleaner
  and smarter energy

19
Thank you!