The Seatower Cranefree turbine platform could be such a significant step forward
Offshore wind farming combines the clean, green, environmentally neutral benefits of land-based wind turbines, while being a lot less visually intrusive … and restricting the usual NIMBY opposition to crustaceans and invertebrates. It’s currently a lot more expensive to install turbines out at sea, though, and that’s restricting the sector’s development. Which is why the Seatower Cranefree turbine platform could be such a significant step forward. Cheaper and easier to install, and requiring less gargantuan and specialized equipment than standard monopile foundations, the Seatower base could help offshore wind farms reach profitability a lot quicker.
Wind farms are one of the cheapest, greenest and most reliable forms of energy generation. One modern turbine can now power more than a thousand homes, and in many areas they’re becoming a significant part of the energy mix.
Offshore wind turbines are even better in a performance sense, and they’re a lot further out of the way, so fragile petals like conservative Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey don’t have to endure the “utterly offensive” sight of clean energy turbines on their way to work in the morning. Strange how conservative politicians seem to find open-cut coal mines far less offensive.
Still, up to this point, offshore turbines have been much, much more expensive to install. That’s because there’s a lot of challenges to overcome when you’re trying to drive a massive monopile foundation into the sea bed.
For starters, the monopiles are huge, they weigh up to 650 tons each, and they require large, expensive ships to transport them. Ships that can drop legs down to the sea floor and elevate themselves above the waves to provide a stable platform that a giant crane can operate from. Very specialized, very rare and very expensive gear that works in a fairly narrow range of weather conditions.
Norway’s Seatower foundations offer a much cheaper installation process that works roughly like this: firstly, the bases are mass-produced and assembled on land. Next, the hollow bases are lowered into the water, where they float in a stable fashion.
From there, they can be towed to the install site by a fairly small boat, at which point two more boats string a line to the base to position it precisely above its resting place.
The Latest on: Offshore wind farming
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The Latest on: Offshore wind farming
- Trump Vows 'Day One' Executive Order Targeting Offshore Windon May 12, 2024 at 9:17 am
Donald Trump vowed to issue an executive order targeting offshore wind development if he wins a second term as president, making his most explicit threat yet toward the growing industry.
- For offshore wind to work, we must prioritize communities most impacted by climate change | Opinionon May 12, 2024 at 4:00 am
As we move forward with wind energy, we must ensure that the concerns of frontline communities are addressed and benefits are equitably distributed.” ...
- First US-Built Boat Servicing Offshore Wind Farms Is Ready to Launchon May 11, 2024 at 8:00 am
The 262-foot Eco Edison, bobbing in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River, is the first US-built vessel for maintaining offshore wind farms. It was built by Danish energy gian ...
- Dominion Energy delays construction for Virginia Beach offshore wind farm, says lawsuit won’t affect timelineon May 9, 2024 at 3:29 pm
Installation of the wind turbine monopiles, which was expected to begin this week, has been delayed until as soon as next week due to a slight delay in the arrival of an installation support ...
- Offshore wind farm cancellations raise doubts about industry's futureon May 9, 2024 at 8:37 am
America's first large-scale offshore wind farms began sending power to the Northeast in early 2024, but a wave of wind farm project cancellations have left many people with doubts about the industry's ...
- Orsted’s Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm delivers first poweron May 9, 2024 at 7:29 am
Orsted’s 253MW Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm in Germany has started producing electricity, delivering its first power to the transmission network. On Wednesday, the Gode Wind 3 farm, jointly owned by ...
- Three groups are suing New Jersey to block an offshore wind farmon May 3, 2024 at 4:06 pm
New Jersey is being sued by 3 anti-wind power groups to overturn an environmental approval for the Atlantic Shores wind farm project planned off of Long Beach Island.
- America's first major offshore wind farm is up and running. What's next for the industry?on May 3, 2024 at 9:18 am
Giant turbines spinning off the coast of Montauk are bringing New Yorkers enough renewable electricity to power more than 70,000 homes.
- Australia grants feasibility licences for offshore wind farmson May 1, 2024 at 1:30 pm
Australia on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for six projects to study the feasibility of building wind farms in waters off its southern coast as it looks to ramp up renewable energy to meet its net zero ...
- More offshore wind farms? New Jersey opens 4th round of biddingon May 1, 2024 at 2:25 am
New Jersey's fourth offshore wind solicitation is part of Gov. Phil Murphy's effort to have 11 gigawatts of electricity produced for state consumers by 2040. Currently, most of the state's electricity ...
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