The concrete sector is developing solutions that will meet the challenges set by Offshore Proof, a new survey by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which believes that offshore wind power has some way to go to prove that it can be a valid part of the renewable energy mix. The survey reports that the next 5 years will be critical for offshore wind power to turn promise into performance.
The survey of major renewable energy developers, manufacturers and utility companies found that cost and technology are perceived to be considerable challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by a split between positive and negative sentiment amongst government bodies concerning the potential of offshore wind power. Two thirds of government bodies expect technological breakthroughs that will prove offshore wind powers worth, but the same proportion believe that technological breakthroughs will favour other renewable sources more.
Despite this, the survey reports a belief that offshore wind power will play a considerable role over the next 20 years and three-fifths of those surveyed expect it to be economic without subsidies within 15 years.
The concrete sector is working with offshore wind farm developers, engineers and contractors to demonstrate the viability of concrete gravity foundations and increase cost efficiencies, said Andrew Minson, executive director of The Concrete Centre. As a part of that dialogue we have recently established a new Working Group to secure the UK supply chain and forward the benefits of concrete gravity foundations for the next generation of larger wind turbines that will need to operate in deeper offshore locations.
Concrete gravity foundations offer particular advantages for deep water offshore locations of between 20m and 60m depth. These include robustness, dynamic performance and flexibility, minimum maintenance and whole life cost efficiencies. The high damping properties of concrete minimise vibration. Meanwhile, the use of established flotation techniques for gravity foundations avoids the potentially complex decommissioning processes and environmental issues associated with driven piles in the sea bed.
