Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FLOATMAST (An Innovative Wind Resource Assessment Tension Leg Platform for combined Cup Anemometer and Lidar Reliable and Bankable Wind Measurements for Offshore Wind Parks)

Teaser

Measuring anemology data, mainly wind speed, direction and vertical profile, is necessary for the calculation of wind potential of an Offshore Wind Park (OWP). These data are necessary for choosing the right site for development, for financing these multibillion investments...

Summary

Measuring anemology data, mainly wind speed, direction and vertical profile, is necessary for the calculation of wind potential of an Offshore Wind Park (OWP). These data are necessary for choosing the right site for development, for financing these multibillion investments, for issuing permits for offshore wind parks, for designing each of the components of the of the wind turbine equipment and for minimizing O&M costs. As a result, there is a strong need and incentive for accurate and reliable wind data measurements according to IEC 61400-12, MEASNET or IEA standards. These standards for the moment can only be provided by the installation of expensive met masts fixed to the sea, presenting a high upfront cost and risk for the OWPs Developers. FloatMast’s platform is able to provide these high quality data by a novel way of combining existing and proven technologies, the stable Tension Leg Platform and the meteorological mast coupled with a Lidar.
This technology is being tested by the FloatMast prototype which will be deployed off the coast of Makronisos island in Greece and shall serve as confirmation of the measuring capabilities of the platform and as a 1:1 test scale model for validation purposes.

Work performed

The work performed proved that there is a real market and that FloatMast indeed provides the solution for the actual needs of OWP Developers. Market opportunities where explored as well as market size. The result was that there is an emerging market for offshore wind measurements which is getting larger and larger as new OWPs are being developed worldwide in an ever advancing pace. Moreover, FloatMast is in theory, the most capable of all solutions in the industry as it provides top quality data at a fraction of the existing costs plus added value thanks to re-use capabilities.

Final results

From the market’s perspective , user needs were identified and verified, as well as economic benefits and innovative advantages of FloatMast: cost minimization at the order of 70%-80%, platform re-use and high quality and reliability of measurements. From the Socio-economic impact, FloatMast presents a huge benefit to the society for two main purposes: a) it provides better and higher efficiency in the Renewable Energy Industry and participates in lowering the cost of Renewable Energy for society and b) by enabling environmental monitoring with various sensors installed on the platform.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.floatmast.com.