Q FWE Identifies 8.5 GW of
Floating Wind Energy
We are pleased to debut a new Q Vision analytical tool for those focused on Floating Wind Energy. Worldwide Floating Wind Projects with Total MW is the first in a series of Microsoft Power BI “front ends” which allows the user to interrogate the new Q Vision system, the world’s most comprehensive Floating Wind Energy database. Look for new Q Vision analytical tools focused across the spectrum of the global supply chain including Floating Units Installed, Costs, LCoE, Cabling Arrays, Tonnage and Moorings in the near future.
For a limited time, this fully functional report is being offered as a complimentary sample of the power of Q Vision coupled with Microsoft Power BI. The three pages of the report highlight projects by total MW bubble size on a world map, cumulative total MW to 2030 and beyond, and cumulative Total MW by country. Each page has filters for Current/Planned/Possible projects as well as Region and Development Type. You can select checkbox values, item(s) in the table or the bubbles on the map to drill down. The reports also support multi-select by ctrl-click. (To clear a filter, click on one value and then click it again.)
Project of the Month
Hibiki – Formerly Kitakyushu
The NEDO initiated Hibiki project aims to test the next generation of offshore wind floaters. The demonstrator is located 15km offshore the Port of Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
The project features a steel version of the Ideol Damping Pool sized at 51 x 51m and designed to carry large turbines. In this demonstrator project, NEDO preferred to test the 3MW Aerodyn 2-blade turbine. Aerodyn is currently developing a 7.5MW turbine as the step-up model to accommodate larger offshore floating wind capability. ‘Hibiki’, as the floating turbine unit is called, was built at Hitachi Zosen’s Sakai Works and towed more than 150 miles to Kitakyushu Port for assembly. The unit is currently being hooked up to its pre-installed mooring system by Glocal Japan, and will be online later this year. Hibiki will remain operational for 3 years and is expected to return huge feedback on the performance of both floater and turbine, providing input for the future commercialization plans of NEDO.
Q FWE Introduces
Project Economics Calculators
Quest FWE introduces its Project Economics Calculators designed to verify assumptions, make comparisons and/or simply check variable inputs.
The Q FWE Project CapEx Calculator can be used to determine a CapEx Threshold for your FTU-Floating Turbine Unit Project, based on a 20 year lifespan, allowing user specified inputs for: Turbine Size (MW), Capacity Factor at Location, Electricity Feed-In Tariff, level of annual OpEx, and targeted annualized Pre-tax Rate of Return.
The Q FWE Project FiT Calculator can be used to determine the required FiT (Feed-In Tariff) for your FTU-Floating Turbine Unit Project, based on a 20 year lifespan, allowing user specified inputs for: CapEx, Number of FTU’s, Turbine Size (MW), level of OpEx, targeted annualized Pre-tax Rate of Return, and Capacity Factor at Location.
These can be accessed on our Q FWEconomics Page
Floating Concept of the Month
Windfloat – Generation 2
The Principle Power Windfloat design was installed in 2011 offshore Portugal as a 2MW demonstrator. It has been operational for 5 years providing a wealth of feed-back data before it was decommissioned in 2016. That same floater will be installed this month in the Kincardine project off Scotland.
For tranches 2 and 3 of that project Principle Power designed a generation 2 floater to accommodate the larger 8MW MHI Vestas turbines and that same configuration of floater and turbine will be used for the Windfloat Atlantic project offshore Portugal. 3 floaters are currently being fabricated by Navantia for installation in 2019. The company is investing €40M to facilitate future automated production of the platform. And for good reason, as other projects are waiting in line such as four 6MW floaters for the French EFGL (Golf de Lion) project for Engie/EDPR with a 2020 COD (commercial operation date).
Although the 2nd generation Windfloat is some 40% larger than WF1 its tonnage per MW is considerably lower and for some of these projects the cost per MW will see a steep decline. This puts it in good position for possible commercial projects such as those offshore California and Hawaii.