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There should be a greater focus on the development of floating foundations for offshore wind turbines, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has said.
Floating turbines would enable access to the best wind resources in the UK and would help to bring down offshore wind costs further, according to ETI.
The research body said its analysis showed they offer the “lowest cost solutions” in waters more than 50 metres deep, although fixed foundations remain the most cost-effective option at a depth of less than 30 metres.
ETI offshore renewables programme manager Andrew Scott explained that his organisation’s work shows the advancement of floating foundation technology “looks like it matters because it opens up more of the sea bed”.
He adedd: “We recommend that more emphasis should be placed on floating turbine development as they should be more economic for high wind, deep water sites – the best locations to exploit UK resources.”
ETI also claimed that while bigger is usually better when it comes to the blade size for offshore turbines, the way they are built is just as important in terms of reducing costs and improving yields.
“Without manufacturing and material improvements a longer blade will be heavier and this can negate other performance benefits,” it said. Building blades in modules and assembling them close to the deployment location could also deliver significant cost savings.
The government could bring down offshore wind costs even more by absorbing “consenting costs” as happens in the Netherlands already. “This could become a game-changer for the UK market by making offshore wind more attractive to investors.” If the UK was to follow this model, then The Crown Estate would provide a “ready-made solution” for a managing agent.
“We have identified that the consenting and approval process should be streamlined as this can have a negative impact on developers wanting to build larger offshore wind farms,” said Scott.
Earlier this week ETI called for the commercialisation of tidal stream technology to take priority over the development of tidal lagoon power.
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