A submarine energy hub to cut floating wind costs
– It was called “Subsea Collector,” literally submarine collector, and the name already explains, in large part, what it is. Let’s talk about the new power transmission technology made by the Norwegian Aker Solution for floating wind, the first submarine energy hub ever built in the world.
The boom of floating marine wind
At a time like the present, when floating offshore wind represents the energy promise for several European countries, the technology to convey the electricity generated at sea has assumed the same importance as that at the base of the production plants. The reason is easy to guess.
read also The environmental benefits of floating wind throughout the life cycle
Although the industry is just beginning – in the Old Continent there are currently 176 MW of floating wind power – expert forecasts indicate an exploit of wind generators without a fixed foundation by 2030. Statist, for example, predicts that the UK alone will reach about 7.9 gigawatts of floating wind capacity by the decade’s end, becoming the largest European power in this area — next, Italy with a planned capacity of over 6.9 gigawatts for the same date.
Due to the absence of traditional bases, the new facilities allow them to reach marine areas farther from the coast and with deeper depths. But at the same time, these offshore power plants will face several challenges that could affect cost competitiveness. Starting with the layout of the energy collection networks and related technologies.
From fossil to renewable
Aker Solution is also working on these challenges and today is leveraging its long-standing experience in underwater solutions for the fossil industry in favor of transition.
“Over the past decade – explains Jo Kjetil Krabbe, Executive Vice President of Power Solutions at Aker Solutions – we have gained extensive experience in complex submarine projects, providing reliable high voltage powered systems to support developments such as Åsgard and, More recently, Jansz-lo [offshore hydrocarbon extraction projects]. We are now leveraging this experience to develop equipment and technologies for next-generation submarine energy systems for a more cost-efficient offshore wind”.