The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium in the US has unveiled the winners of its latest round of solicitations for offshore wind technology research and development
Consortium executive director Carrie Cullen Hitt said, “The awards reflect critical topics identified by industry to advance offshore wind development and the development of a US supply chain to support the industry.
US Department of Energy wind energy technologies office director Robert Marlay said, “These projects will enable the continued scaling of offshore wind turbines, allowing them to access the excellent wind resources off our coasts while capitalising on economies of scale.”
The competitive solicitation, open to companies and academic and research institutions, sought solutions that remove barriers and address issues essential for cost reduction, deployment, and industry growth in the US. The solicitation focused on enabling large-scale turbines in the 15 MW range.
Exmar Offshore Company was awarded funding for a project investigating the feasibility of a Jones Act-compliant turbine installation vessel conversion. Crowley Maritime secured funds for technology validation of existing US barges as a feeder solution; Texas A&M University has been funded to investigate vibratory-installed bucket foundations; Esteyco SL received funding for its self-installing concrete gravity-base substructure for a 15-MW turbine; and Marin USA secured funding for a comparative operability analysis of floating feeder solutions.
Crowley vice president new energy Jeff Andreini said, “We look forward to leveraging our offshore operational experience with the diversity of our engineering services solutions to utilise the Phase II funding for specialised marine simulation programmes. We are confident that through these simulations, we will be able to document and demonstrate the effectiveness of US-flagged, towed barges to safely and efficiently operate as feeder vessels.”
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