Eel-like foundation for floating windfarms is ideal for mass production

Maridea managing director Jeroen Lusthof told OWJ, “Most floating wind concepts rely on conventional offshore foundations as used in the oil and gas industry. But in the offshore oil and gas industry, foundations were produced on a case-by-case basis, and they were designed to support a large deck structure.

“This has led to complex structures that were never intended to be produced in series, as is needed for offshore windfarms. In the wind energy industry, you only need to support a tower and be able to mass produce identical units. It is essential to reduce the cost of a foundation for series production and adopt a simplified design.

“Jacket foundations were never really designed for series production,” said Mr Lusthof. “They are complex, and the fabrication process is difficult. Details are prone to fatigue. Jackets were designed for what are essentially deck loads, and it is challenging to integrate the load from a turbine into a structure with three or four legs.

“In contrast,” said Mr Lusthof, “monopile foundations have other characteristics that are ideal for wind turbines. They are a simple concept, designed for series production and production efficiency is high. They are also easy to install, and it is easy to integrate a turbine into the foundation. Monopiles are also simple and robust and because they allow for mass production, they are generally preferred over jackets.”

Mr Lusthof told OWJ that in model testing, the performance of the Moray Base exceeded the company’s simulations. “Testing is complete, and our numerical models have been fine-tuned with the results of the tests,” he explained.  

“We have presented the design to several developers and the feedback has been very positive. Above all, they recognise our focus on developing a design that can be industrialised. We haven’t spoken to turbine OEMs yet, but our design is suitable for any standard wind turbine and is based on the industry standard ‘IEA Wind TCP Task 37: Definition of the IEA Wind 15-Megawatt Offshore Reference Wind Turbine.’

“The technology readiness level of the Moray Base is between 4 and 5. At this point we are working towards approval in principle with Lloyd’s Register, a process that will be concluded shortly, and have engaged in discussions with fabricators to develop a fabrication and assembly process to ensure delivery of one or two units per week.”

Mr Lusthof said the next step in the process is the production and testing of a prototype. Maridea is building a consortium to complete this phase of the project and discussions are ongoing with investors to develop a pilot project.

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