| Popis: |
This paper presents the main achievements of the WindFloat Atlantic project, the first pre-commercial wind farm using semi-submersible technology. The journey from initial technology development through the project execution is discussed, with the viewpoint of upcoming commercial deployments. Following the successful deployment of the WF1 prototype, the WindFloat Atlantic is a 25MW floating wind farm composed of 3 semi-submersible platforms hosting 8.4MW wind turbines. The wind farm has recently completed the first year of operation, 17km off the coast of Viana do Castelo. Key technology requirements were developed, implemented, and demonstrated, including an extended design lifetime of 25-years, building on the knowledge of oil&gas permanent units and fixed-bottom offshore wind. The use of large commercial turbines required a quay-side assembly process, with turbines installed with the foundations a float or temporally grounded. By using an onshore crane, the project avoided the use of large offshore heavy-lift vessels, also allowing most of the commissioning works to be completed onshore. The offshore activities were greatly simplified, being designed to allow a tow-to-port O&M strategy for large component replacement. Following a multi-contract strategy, the project fostered the development of the value chain and the processes required to install multi-unit offshore wind farms. Furthermore, the project achieved non-recourse finance from EIB, demonstrating the bankability of the technology and representing a step-change towards the readiness of floating wind technology for large commercial deployments. |
