Commercial scale offshore wind farms pose many challenges for the industry. One is the ability to promptly produce and deliver monopiles to the field to meet offshore installation schedules. The same weather conditions that define an ideal wind farm also drive the installation schedule offshore. Rapid deployment is important to achieve a maximal number of installations in a working season. For a project to be financially successful, it must be installed and commissioned as quickly as possible, simultaneously, with as little operational and safety risk as possible.
Logistical challenges
One aspect affecting the success of an offshore wind power project is the ability to quickly deliver monopiles to the field. The methods commonly believed to be state-of-the-art usually include loading out each monopile onto a barge or heavy lift vessel (HLV) and towing it from the port to the field for installation. This method faces multiple logistical challenges.
