Study Determines Feasibility of Floating Wind Turbines on OCS

 
A study on the technical feasibility of installing floating wind turbines on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) has been completed by ABS, an agency focused on the development and verification of standards for the design, construction, and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.

The goal of the study had been to determine how floating structures and moorings would be affected by the strong itneractions among the wind turbine rotor, control system, floating platform and mooring/cable system, and how different loading events could impact these events.

ABS was awarded this study through the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s Technology Assessment and Research Program back in 2010, and since then has conducted extensive case studies evaluating the characteristic load conditions and global responses of three different design concepts.

Study results served as a basis for identifying the critical technical challenges to deploying floating wind turbines on the OCS. The final step of the project was the proposal of a draft design guideline for permitting floating wind turbine deployment on the U.S. OCS.

Information Adapted from North American Wind Power
Image Source: L.C. Nøttaasen