As the global wind industry surges, technological advances are reshaping every stage of the supply chain. The need for connectivity innovation is especially evident in the offshore wind sector, where technology is scaling rapidly, making early decisions in wind farm design crucial. Developers often face the dilemma of choosing between two cabling systems: inner cone or outer cone.
Turbines today reach up to 16 MW, with 20 to 24 MW models on the horizon driving record energy outputs. For instance, the Hornsea 2 wind farm in the North Sea, now fully operational, produces 1.32 GW. Meanwhile, the Dogger Bank wind farm project1, poised to become the UK’s largest renewable energy source, will eventually supply 3.6 GW, enough to power six million homes.
Global offshore wind capacity, which reached 75 GW by the end of 2023, could exceed 250 GW by 2030, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)2. But, this growth comes with technical challenges requiring engineering ingenuity.
