The EU and Norway have set goals for increased offshore wind capacity. To achieve these goals, the expansion of wind farm development must accelerate. They need to be established further offshore, where we can take advantage of higher and more consistent wind speeds.
“Today, the necessary technology and facilities to produce, transport, and install substructures for offshore wind turbines on the required scale & cost - especially at greater ocean depths - are lacking. WindRise is working to solve these challenges,” says Magnus Eriksson, project manager for WindRise at SINTEF.
A holistic approach to the value chain
By bringing together some of Norway’s leading offshore wind players, the research project WindRise aims to establish a more integrated value chain to support sustainable & large-scale development of offshore wind. The project is supported by the Green Platform through the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway, and SIVA, in addition to contributions from industrial partners in the project.
The three-year project seeks to contribute to sustainable and cost-effective solutions for large-scale deployment of steel substructures to offshore wind turbines. This will help increase offshore wind capacity and accelerate the transition from fossil energy to affordable and clean energy.
The project aims to:
- Increase production capacity and efficiency by 40–60 percent
- Reduce costs by 15–25 percent
- Lower CO2 emissions by 30–50 percent
- Increase exports by 30–50 percent
An ambitious project
WindRise will change the way offshore wind turbine substructures are built, transported and installed.
“To succeed with offshore wind at the required scale, we must develop today’s technology. WindRise will explore new solutions that will enable the construction of large offshore wind farms at greater depths, to reduced costs, while protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems”
says Eriksson.
The project will develop and test new foundation solutions for wind turbines—from early concept development to relevant lab and production testing. Partners will drive innovations through the phases of design, fabrication, transport, and installation of jacket substructures.
Another key goal is to automate and robotize mass production in an industry that has traditionally relied on manual production of one-off products. These automation advancements will bring direct benefits and can be widely applied to floating wind technology.
From research to reality
The project's goal is to understand how foundations behave over time in different types of sediments and under the influence of environmental factors such as waves, currents, and marine ecosystems. It will also develop models and tools to reduce conservative calculations, which can lower the industry's costs and risks.
“By challenging today’s assumptions and building on what we know, we can develop foundations that are smarter, stronger, and more adaptable,” project manager Eriksson explains.
Sustainability and social responsibility
In addition to technological goals, WindRise strongly focuses on sustainability and social responsibility. The project will study the impact of offshore wind on marine ecosystems and contribute to developing solutions that minimize the negative effects.
“Offshore wind is part of the future energy solution and crucial for sustainable development on multiple levels. WindRise provides an opportunity to balance economic growth, technological innovation, and environmental protection while also building competence and value creation for the future” concludes Eriksson.
By combining cutting-edge technology with cross-sector collaboration, WindRise will position Norway as a global leader in offshore wind technology.
