Energy

Massive 40-MW floating wind turbine array wins major tick of approval

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WCS is progressing on a demonstrator project off the coast of Norway
WCS
WCS is progressing on a demonstrator project off the coast of Norway
WCS
Undersea mooring and cabling for multiple Windcatcher units
WCS
WCS says each Windcatcher grid can replace the annual output of five massive 15-MW conventional turbines
WCS
Windcatcher grid alongside the 1,063-ft-high Eiffel Tower and 305-ft-tall Statue of Liberty
WCS
A 'physical model' in towing tank testing in Norway
WCS
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While the quest for pulling more megawatts from wind turbines has generally led to bigger and bigger rotors on turbines of conventional design – like this monster 22-MW number in China – Norway’s Wind Catching Systems (WCS) has taken a different path. It claims its mega-array of smaller rotors arranged in a grid would achieve up to 126 MW, or five times the energy of a 15-MW single-rotor turbine, in North Sea conditions – and even more in some other locations around the world.

In addition to the superior energy output, WCS says the Windcatcher design would allow for simpler installation compared to conventional wind turbines, greater ease of access for maintenance, simpler scalability, and a longer service life of 50 years, as opposed to 30 years for large single-turbine units.

The idea is to share the floating supports between a whole lot of small, relatively lightweight turbines, trussed up in enormous arrays of structural scaffolding, distributing both the weight of the turbine fans and generators, as well as the force supplied by the wind, across a broad area.

The scaffolding provides a perfect foundation for small installation/maintenance elevators, which run up and down behind the generators; once the main structure's up, all the working parts can be installed and maintained with relative ease. And since the system doesn't require massive generators and enormous blades, it promises to be much less logistically challenging to manufacture and move the parts around.

When we first wrote about the Windcatcher floating wind turbine array in 2021, there were a number of commenters who voiced some doubts about the design. And who can blame them? At over 1,000 ft (324 m) high and roughly just as wide, these massive grids of wind turbines would appear to stretch the bounds of feasibility. Just look at the potential scale of these things:

Windcatcher grid alongside the 1,063-ft-high Eiffel Tower and 305-ft-tall Statue of Liberty
WCS

But in the past three years, WCS has made significant progress towards realizing its vision. In June, 2022 it announced it had secured up to US$10 million is a Series A investment round from GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors, and entered into a strategic agreement with GM to collaborate on “technology development, project execution, offshore wind policy, and the advancement of sustainable technology applications.”

This was followed in September 2022 and February 2023 by grants of NOK22 million (US$2.1 million) and NOK9.3 million (US$0.9 Million), respectively. These grants came from Enova SF, a Norwegian government enterprise devoted to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and exploring new clean energy technologies.

And now the design has received a major stamp of approval that, while probably not silencing the doubters, may give them pause. It comes from DNV (Det Norske Veritas), an international accredited registrar and classification society that provides services for various industries, including maritime, oil and gas and renewable energy. Many standards devised by DNV have served as the basis for international standards, so they’re a heavy hitter in the field.

DNV has awarded an Approval of Principle to WCS for its design for a 40-MW system that WCS says will be the first of four expected units for a demonstrator project off the coast of Øygarden, Norway.

“This is an important milestone towards the construction our first commercial demonstrator unit,” says Ole Heggheim, CEO of WCS.

A 'physical model' in towing tank testing in Norway
WCS

WCS is yet to come forward with a specific Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) for this design – and the price of energy is fundamental to the success of all renewables projects. But if this upcoming demonstrator project proves the feasibility of the unique Windcatcher concept, the offshore wind farms of tomorrow may look very different to what we’ve become accustomed to.

It's extremely rare to see numbers as high as 40 MW – much less 126 MW – bandied about for a single offshore wind installation, so the potential here is incredibly exciting. We look forward to learning more about this demonstration installation as it comes together.

Source: WCS

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6 comments
Karmudjun
Darren, thanks for the synopsis of another incremental development in the realm of wind energy. With no LCoE, and a continued increase in the cost of maintenance in our modern world this is just more of the same. Norway will provide the world with Proof-Of-Concept real world numbers (we hope), at which point this ugly billboard of windmills may prove efficacious. What could go wrong? Floating, so tether necessary to join to power cable. Maintenance requires transport & parts while docked at sea - or tow to shore facility? Smaller blades could mean greater degree of bird strike as slow moving large blades have reduced the avian fatalities.
1stClassOPP
Looks like it’d be a great airplane catcher.
pete-y
Looks an interesting concept -
presume it is partially floating and partially cantilevered off the pivot post.
Should be no problem providing electric links in the pivot.
Plane flying through wind turbine fields is STRONG NO.
Bob Stuart
Giantism has been enough to drive rapid growth in wind energy, but it is overdue for a serious re-think about structural efficiency and construction problems. It is great to see progress at last.
Newbee @ Atlas
With all the concerns for wild life from Flying fish to all types of birds i am wondering why this has not been harshly criticized.
It's Impossible to avoid. I am an indisutrial designer who's seen years of conceptual work in this realm and seen better. I suppose if a flock of seagulls is obliterated over the ocean and no one hears it,who can say it ever "happened"...
ReservoirPup
Even if it fails, please name me better wasted money