FOSS

Challenge

Floating offshore substations (FOSS) have become a key topic of interest over the years since fixed bottom substations and wind turbines have water depth limitations in depths above approximately 60 meters.

However, 80% of the world’s offshore wind resources are located in water deeper than 60 meters creating a need for alternative foundations such as floaters.

Solution

There is therefore a need in the market to develop a floating offshore substation which can be used to harvest energy offshore in areas which hasn’t been possible before.

The FOSS project partners developed:

• A conceptual design for a floating substation with design focus on:
  • The floating structure
  • Topside and layout of components
  • The electrical design
  • Cable handling and mooring lines
• Constructed a scaled-down model of a floating substation to validate the numerical model of the floating system, cables, and mooring lines based on experimental tests.

Effect

Floating technology enables access to areas that were not possible to exploit before.

Floating substations for floating wind farms will increase the production capacity which will lead to security of supply. Further, the floating substation will ensure that the electricity can be transported to shore and minimize the amount of electricity lost.