Stinger Keel Floating Wind Turbine Foundation UK Concept Development

In 2009, wind turbines supplied 2% of the UK's electrical demand \[1\]. By 2019, this had risen to 20% \[2\]. The UK government is committed to quadruple offshore wind capacity over the next ten years to achieve a total of 40GW offshore wind generating capacity by 2030 with 1 GW dedicated to floating offshore wind \[3\]. Floating wind represents the next frontier of offshore wind power generation and involves development of wind turbines on floating structures anchored in deeper water.

The current generation of offshore turbines are fixed to the seabed in shallow waters up to 60m deep which has enabled the expansion of wind turbines around England's coast. Beyond this depth lie much larger acreages of sea with more powerful and sustained wind flows. Markets in Scotland, Norway, the US Pacific Coast, Japan, Korea and other countries with limited continental shelf but large domestic and industrial energy demand can benefit from deployment of floating windfarms to achieve the transition to renewable energy. This presents an opportunity for the UK economy and workforce with its unique combination of experience in deep water North Sea oil and gas developments and coastal offshore windfarms.

Floating Energy Systems Ltd has experience in both areas and is working with its UK partners to prepare for the developing global floating offshore wind market. Together, they are developing the Stinger Keel Foundation Concept. It is a floating structure based on the floating truss spar concept developed for offshore oil/gas production but includes the innovation of a hinged connection between the weighted ballast keel and surface floating unit. This enables more efficient construction of the complete foundation-turbine assembly at the quayside rather than in open water and removes dependency on costly heavy lift floating craneage.

With Innovate UK funding, FESL and its engineering partners shall conduct computer and wave tank simulations of the Stinger Keel foundation with operating turbine to thoroughly assess dynamic motions as well as assess novel fabrication techniques to improve ease of construction and achieve high volume productivity. End deliverables include fully detailed and verified construction plans from which fabricators may start to plan and cost the delivery of multiple foundation structure units to UK and global markets.

\[1\] DECC Historical Electricity data (2013).

\[2\] BEIS Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2020\.

\[3\] Conservative Party Manifesto 2019\.