Owner: StatoilHydro
Operator: Siemens Wind Power
In June, the 2.3-MW Hywind facility, the world’s first large-scale floating wind turbine, was towed to a North Sea location with a water depth of about 220 meters (722 feet) and began operation. Over the next two years this turbine will be subjected to strong wind and waves in a harsh ocean environment in an effort to thoroughly test the innovative technology.
Located off the beautiful, yet severe Norwegian coastline, the Hywind Floating Wind Turbine is making history as the first large-scale wind turbine supported by an underwater floating structure similar to ones used by off-shore oil rigs (Figure 1). The turbine’s vital statistics include a height of about 65 meters (m) or 213 feet and a rotor diameter of 82 m. The facility is placed offshore about 12 km (7.5 miles) southeast of Karmøy, an island that was once a major headquarters for Viking chieftains around 1,000 A.D.
1. Combining wind and waves. The Hywind Floating Wind Turbine is the first large-scale wind turbine that is supported by an underwater floating structure similar to ones used by off-shore oil rigs. Courtesy: StatoilHydro
Just like their Norse predecessors — famous explorers who conquered many new frontiers — Norwegian energy companies such as StatoilHydro are moving in new directions with breakthrough technologies. "We’re inaugurating the pilot facility which could help floating wind turbines to make an important contribution in the longer term to meeting the world’s big demand for energy," said Margareth Øvrum, executive vice president for StatoilHydro’s Technology & New Energy (TNE) Division in a statement released in June.
"Floating wind power remains an immature technology, and the road to commercialization and full-scale construction of wind farms will be long," she said. "Our goal with the Hywind pilot is to test how wind and waves affect the structure, learn how the operating concept can be optimized, and identify technology gaps."
Sjur E. Bratland, asset manager of StatoilHydro, discussed the Hywind project with POWER in October. "The total cost for the project was about 400 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) [approximately US$71 million]," Bratland said. "However, the Hywind demonstration project is a one-time prototype, and the cost of the prototype does not reflect the cost for commercial production of the Hywind Floating Windmill, which will be significantly lower."
StatoilHydro invested 341 million NOK in the project, and Enova provided approximately 59 million NOK. The latter is a state-owned company that promotes environment-friendly changes to energy production and use in Norway.
Siemens Wind Power in Denmark manufactured the turbine, while France’s Technip built the floater (see the online version of this article for a photo of this structure before it was submerged), and Nexans produced and laid the power cable to land. Following assembly in the Åmøy Fjord near Stavanger, the Hywind pilot was towed in June to its current location near Karmøy island for the two-year test period (Figure 2). In August it was connected to the local grid and started producing power.
2. Norse know-how. Erection of the large-scale wind turbine took place in the North Sea near Karmøy, Norway. Courtesy: StatoilHydro
Hywind is a good example of the way StatoilHydro has used its extensive experience in the offshore oil and gas business and applied it to tackling renewable energy projects. The Hywind Floating Wind Turbine was delivered within budget and on schedule. Also on a positive note, no serious health, safety, or environmental incidents occurred during the project’s development.
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