Ocean Energy Archives
Largest Ocean Energy Device Ever Installed in US Waters Generates Electricity at Design Capacity
The system’s core component, the proprietary Turbine Generator Unit, or TGU, is deployed below ORPC’s world-class research and testing vessel, the Energy Tide 2, and has a maximum design capacity of 60 kilowatts. Performance test results show that the TGU’s electrical output meets or exceeds expectations for the full range of current velocities encountered. ORPC will use the data obtained from the Beta Power System to fine tune the design of its commercial TidGen™ Power System, planned for installation in Eastport in late 2011. The TidGen™ Power System will be connected to the New England grid through the Bangor Hydro Electric Company system, and will generate enough electricity to power 50 to 75 homes.
“Proving the efficacy of the Beta Power System and its ability to generate grid-compatible power day in and day out is a huge milestone for America’s ocean energy industry,” said Chris Sauer, president and CEO of ORPC. “It reaffirms the limitless opportunities to advance the nation’s renewable energy agenda and ensure a more sustainable future.” Tidal energy has the potential to be a billion dollar industry in Maine within the next seven to ten years, creating hundreds of jobs.
The bodies of water around Eastport have some of the most robust tidal currents in the world, and through ORPC’s testing activities over the last three years, Eastport has become known as the Kitty Hawk of tidal energy.
ORPC’s Beta Power System incorporates significant new advancements and technological innovations. These include the TGU’s proprietary advanced design cross-flow turbines, engineered with 100 percent composite materials, its permanent magnet generator, a
Through its three-year partnership with the University of Maine, ORPC is also setting the standard for environmental monitoring of ocean energy systems with a program to observe the marine environment around the Beta Power System. UMaine researchers, led by Gayle Zydlewski, Ph.D., are supervising the program, which incorporates state-of-the-art visual and acoustic monitoring technology. Data collected will allow UMaine and ORPC to better understand and help minimize any potential interaction between ORPC’s technology and marine life. “Development of alternative energy sources must consider the natural environment. We take this very seriously, and we are working closely with ORPC to understand the dynamics of the marine life where tidal power will be generated,” said Dr. Zydlewski.
Over the next two months, ORPC will also be demonstrating how tidal energy can be delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard for use at its Eastport station through a battery electrical supply system that is charged aboard the Energy Tide 2. This is the first application of tidal energy by a federal agency. “The Coast Guard in Maine encounters the power of the elements on a daily basis. Capturing some of these sustainable forces to help achieve our energy needs is a prudent and responsible thing to do. We are extremely pleased to be a part of ORPC's exciting initiative to harness tidal energy at Station Eastport," said Captain James McPherson, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in Northern New England.
The company holds FERC preliminary permits and is in the process of obtaining FERC pilot project licenses for tidal energy sites in Maine and Alaska, which have been designated world-class tidal resources by the World Energy Congress. ORPC’s community outreach efforts in Eastport have been cited as the model for ocean energy development by the Governor of Maine’s Ocean Energy Task Force. ORPC’s work is funded in part by Maine Technology Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Trelleborg Supports World's First Full Scale Floating Wind Turbine
Statoil’s innovative new offshore floating Hywind wind turbine, now successfully moored in the North Sea off the Norwegian coast, is demonstrating how Trelleborg Offshore’s syntactic foam buoyancy technology is contributing to the future of offshore power generation.
“It is subsea technology that has already been extensively proven,” commented Gary Howland, Renewables Sales Manager for Trelleborg Offshore. “Trelleborg Distributed Buoyancy Modules (DBMs) developed for deepwater support of umbilicals and risers in the oil and gas industry are ideal for this application; helping reduce project risk by using proven technology.
“People see the tower and turbine, but forget that the expertise in designing the subsea portion is also critical, as ultimately it keeps the whole turbine afloat. The dynamic floating structure weighs 5,300 tons and is 165 metres tall; with a total of 65 metres above sea surface. The 13km of power offtake and communications cabling attached to the structure further adds to its weight.
“It’s like the proverbial iceberg; the mass floating below the surface ensures stability. Unless the weight is supported by properly designed buoyancy the whole structure would be much less able to resist the extremes of the offshore environment and the cable could suffer premature damage.”
For Hywind, Trelleborg Offshore designed and supplied 45 off polymer-coated syntactic foam DBMs which supply buoyancy support for a 3 ton, 100 meter section of cable as it exits the turbine spar and descends to the sea bed at -220 meters. The buoyancy modules include an internal clamp for secure fastening and precise positioning on the cable. The cable is supported mid-water in what is known as a ‘Lazy Wave’ configuration, featuring gentle long radius curves that minimise stress on the cable while accommodating natural movement created by wind and waves.
Howland continued: “For optimum buoyancy under different sea conditions, the precise position of the buoyancy modules on the cable is pre-calculated. The positions must be maintained, despite stresses during launch and in operation. The clamp is crucial; the design, material selection and manufacturing technique are critical in ensuring the finished clamp maintains the buoyancy module position, during cable contraction and expansion, over the 20 year lifetime of the project.
“Trelleborg Offshore has substantial expertise in operating in deep water marine and subsea environments, and a track record acknowledged by leading offshore engineering companies all around the world. The company has significant experience in the supply of DBMs, within excess of 35,000 modules in service, which will be invaluable in the rapid establishment of the far offshore renewables industry.
“We have seen many of the technical challenges before, in the offshore oil & gas arena, so our engineers can quickly and easily adapt proven solutions for use in offshore wind power generation. This will greatly reduce project risk and make development of the industry far quicker and less costly.”
www.trelleborg.com/offshore.
NOAA Announces Funding to Model Effects of Sea Level Rise in Northern Gulf of Mexico
NOAA has awarded $750,000 for the first year of an anticipated $3 million research investment to develop the information and tools critically needed to plan for sea level rise and other consequences of climate change along more than 300 miles of the northern Gulf of Mexico’s shoreline.
The study team, led by Scott Hagen, Ph.D., of the University of Central Florida, will develop sea level rise computer models to predict the impacts storms and rising water pose to the northern Gulf’s coastline, including shoreline and barrier island erosion. The results of the study will be incorporated into coastal ecosystem planning for restoration efforts and other natural resource management decisions in the region. It may also help oil spill responders better understand oil that may reside in the subsided ecosystems.
“We intend to build upon our individual and collective experiences to develop an integrated modeling approach for assessing the ecological impacts of sea level rise,” said Hagen. “Our modeling effort will be improved by close coordination between NOAA-funded scientists and local coastal resource managers.”
Sea level rise occurs along most of America’s coastline and poses danger to nurseries, feeding grounds and permanent habitat sites for commercially and ecologically important fisheries and wildlife. Coastal wetlands and lowlands, beaches and barrier islands, and ocean islands and atolls are especially at risk to rising seas, as they are vulnerable to being submerged or significantly flooded. The study area ranges from coastal Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle, encompassing three sites in NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System. These locations are ideally suited to monitor the long-term impacts from sea level rise because of the relatively pristine nature of their ecosystems and the extensive monitoring and research capacity already in place. A national effort is afoot to establish the area as a network of sentinel sites for climate change impacts on coastal habitats.
Key to the successful application of the study results is the open communication between researchers and local authorities. To this effect, partners in the study will also include representatives from the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
“This advanced warning tool is just one example of NOAA’s growing portfolio of climate services so that local authorities can take steps to protect valuable resources and coastal economies in a proactive manner,” says Russell Callender, acting director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the office that is providing this competitive funding.
CTC Marine Projects Commences Cable Load out for the Wave Hub Project
CTC Marine Projects (a member of Trico Marine Group) has now commenced the load out of the 25 kilometre armoured power cable and its hub as part of the Wave Hub project, which will go offshore at the beginning of August.
The Wave Hub project has been developed by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and will create the world’s largest test site for wave energy technology and consists of a grid-connected socket in the seabed, 16 kilometres off the coast of Cornwall. The site will allow Wave Energy Converter (WEC) developers the opportunity to test WEC arrays over several years in a fully monitored marine environment, and export their generated electricity to the local grid.
The chartered cable laying vessel, MV Nordica, has transited to JDR Cables in Hartlepool where the cable was manufactured. It is here that the cable will be loaded onto the vessel in an operation which involves spooling the tensioned cable directly from the JDR factory onto a 2000 tonne capacity carousel. The Wave Hub has been connected to the cable and was loaded onto the vessel first, followed by the 1,300 tonnes of cable.
Following this procedure, which should take approximately 4 days, the Noridca will transit to north Cornwall where the offshore operations will commence. The beach pull will take place first, followed by the cable lay, deployment of the hub itself and burial of part of the cable route. It is expected that the CTC workscope will be completed in August.
Daryl Lynch, Managing Director of CTC Marine Projects, says of this prestigious project: “CTC recognises the importance of renewable energy to the UK and believes the Wave Hub project is a significant milestone and opens up another avenue in the renewable market.
“CTC is pleased to be participating in what we hope will be the start of many such developments. We believe we can bring a significant contribution and become a major provider to this emerging business.”
Offshore Marine Management Commissions Unique O&M Vessel
Subsea service specialist, Offshore Marine Management (OMM) has instructed independent marine design consultancy BMT Nigel Gee to design a unique operation and maintenance vessel for the next phase of offshore wind farm development.
Anticipating the increasing demand for tailor-made vessels from developers and their contractors, OMM has used its experience and know-how to specify a work vessel that can fulfil numerous needs. It will cater to both subsea cabling and surface operation and maintenance requirements, including safe personnel transfer and transportation of sizeable spare parts and components.
The vessel, which can accommodate up to 40 wind farm technicians, incorporates full DPII capability, motion-compensated personnel turbine access as well as complete ROV and dive support facilities. It addresses all the facets of wind farm operation and maintenance including subsea inspections, cable remedial works, cable repair and installation capability and transportation of large items of replacement equipment such as turbine gearboxes.
OMM Managing Director Rob Grimmond said that the vessel had been designed to anticipate the next phase of operation and maintenance needs for both UK and international projects currently in development or under construction.
“We have been working in the industry for a number years, listening to the needs of clients and potential clients, and felt the time was right to put our knowledge into the development of a specialised vessel,” he said. “It is important that the industry adopts advanced techniques to reduce the overall operation and maintenance costs, improve the protection of subsea assets and increase wind farm output by, for example, having technicians onsite.”
“OMM understands that every wind farm is different so we have designed this vessel to be flexible enough to meet individual client requirements. We are working closely with two clients, helping them to assess their needs and develop their strategy, and will modify the design so it can be tailor-made for them,” he added.
BMT Nigel Gee will also support OMM in the build and delivery of vessels.
More Articles...
- First foundation installed at Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm
- Seajacks Enters into Firm Contract with Lamprell Energy to Build Wind Farm Installation Vessel 'Seajacks Zaratan'
- Prysmian Secures Borwin2 Project Worth Well in Excess of € 200 Million for the Grid Connection of Offshore Wind Farms
- Wave and Tidal Renewable Energy Center selects Draka as Subsea Power Cable Provider
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