OFFSHORE FLOATING WIND TURBINES
CIERCO’s unique project development strategy follows technologies and cost developments closely. Wind turbine technology is thrusting forward, increasing in size to a new turbine class. Turbines have already reached 10 MW and the conditions for floating technologies are improving significantly. Where only recently the 2 MW floating turbine was the industry standard, today we operate and plan with the 6 - 8 MW turbine class for floating deployments. CIERCO’s strategy and development plan will leap forward the floating turbine technology class to a 12 MW platform. CIERCO, through our strategy, intends to accelerate the use of larger wind turbines in the floating environment.
In realizing this, CIERCO is actively working on a UK based commercial offshore floating wind technology development plan. The plan incorporates the first offshore deployment of the next generation of large offshore wind turbine technology (10 – 12 MW) at our Forthwind site in Scotland, leading to the development of a number of further floating offshore wind demonstration projects in the UK (see further information under Projects)
Our overall aim is to develop the first large scale commercially viable floating offshore wind park. Our technology path is aimed at reducing the technology risk through incremental approach stages, allowing confidence to be introduced within the consenting and financial spheres of project development. The path is being pursued on a technology neutral basis; however, CIERCO maintains close links with a number of turbine and floating platform technology development companies to ensure that credible technology projects and financial projections are achieved. (see examples of design concepts below)
INTEGRATED ENERGY SOLUTIONS
The future smart energy system required a higher degree of optimization and co-existence between energy generation sources and increased management to handle user profiles in the various networks. This will include increased requirements on renewable sources to improve its capacity factor at times of consumer need. Furthermore, we are in a transition of vehicle fuels, leading to more electric vehicles in need of charging and need for transitional fuels like gas or liquid gases.
The increased flexibility of location and grid connectivity of the future offshore floating wind technology hereby introduces new opportunities for integrating with other energy storage and conversion technologies, feeding into the new propositions. CIERCO has an interest in exploring new opportunities of integrating with floating offshore wind, particularly in the areas of:
- hydrogen
- liquid ammonia
- synthetic gas generation
- water making systems - desalination technologies
- offshore data centers
- fish farming
- Smart Energy Systems strategies