AIRTO members may be interested to know that the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and Renewable Risk Advisors (RRA) have published a White Paper setting out the needs case for a National Floating Wind Test Centre in the UK.
The White Paper states the need for a dedicated ‘National Floating Wind Test Centre’ to fully prove floating technologies in metocean conditions that are truly representative of the locations into which they will be deployed.
The paper compares 5-year average and 100-year storm event conditions at existing and proposed floating wind test sites across Europe with the metocean resources that project developers will face at typical ScotWind, INTOG, and Celtic Sea sites. A dedicated test site will also help ensure that the UK captures and retains the innovation benefits and cements its leading position in the floating wind sector. To progress the test site’s development EMEC has a 60 MW grid connection offer to connect the site into Orkney’s soon-to-be-connected 220 MW cable to the Scottish mainland and thus the UK national grid. Given timely investment, the site can be ready and energised in time to meet the needs of most planned floating offshore wind projects in UK waters
