As the offshore wind sector grows so will the size of the turbines used to power its energy into electricity?
According to the Offshore Wind Supply Chain Strategy Report 2011 the average size of offshore wind turbines is set to grow from its present 2 to 7MW capacity range to between 10 and 20MW in the next 10 to 15 years.
On the basis of a wide-ranging industry survey of offshore wind turbine manufacturer OEMs the new report finds that 40 per cent of respondents see 10 to 20MW as the standard size in future years, 35.6 per cent sees it growing to between 8 and 10MW and a notable 6.7 per cent believe it will go even larger beyond 20MW.
The report’s authors say that one of the main drivers behind the increase in size is to improve OEMs economies of scale on offshore projects and reduce cost.
The ramp-up will bring a myriad of challenges for offshore component suppliers. According to OEMs it will lead to the need for “compact and lighter designs” of blades and towers, reliable electronic components and the location of manufacturing plants closer to offshore wind farms.
One leading OEM said: “Components increasing in size is a natural development of an immature industry. The real problem will be in the logistics and how to transport extremely large components.”
Another told the report: “The coming 10-20MW turbines will be floating. This means that the critical components will be blades, drive train and generator. Less critical but still challenging will be a floating foundation.”
