Posters

Abstract

The next stage for floating offshore wind projects will be pilot projects in deeper water further away from land. These projects are expected to have a generating capacity of around 250MW. To step up the voltage for export to shore, a substation will be required. The challenges of producing a structurally efficient low-motion vessel are greater for the small topsides weight and footprint of the electrical equipment for 250MW than they are for a commercial scale floating substation of 1GW. Different options for the floater design are discussed and compared. A stable semi-submersible hull would need a footprint much larger than that required for the electrical equipment, a conventional or modified spar would have a deep draught and would therefore present construction and installation limitations and small ship-shaped or round hulls have relatively high motions. A minimum structure Tension Leg Platform (TLP) was found to provide low motion combined with minimum structural weight.