We benchmarked wave conditions for 40 global floating projects – what did we learn?
The technology for floating wind will encounter a wider variety of site conditions as it goes global, exceeding what has been observed on demonstration scale projects in Europe so far.
With many offshore activities currently having operational limits between 1.5 and 2.0 meters significant wave height, developers will need to find solutions to enable continuous installation of GW scale projects in several key floating markets.
The Atlantic off Ireland, Scotland and Iceland, as well as the US West Coast have very big waves
To shed light on where wave conditions could cause issues for floating projects, Aegir Insights mapped out wind speed and mean wave height on a monthly and yearly basis for 40 potential future floating projects. The 40 projects are reference cases, that are part of our ongoing intelligence series “The Big Float”.
Our analysis points to the most extreme conditions being offshore the US West Coast and in some areas around Ireland and Scotland. Installation and operations here could be limited to few months per year – based on today's standard capabilities.
Want to know more about our Big Float series examining commercial and technical characteristics of 40 prospective floating projects? Get in touch.
Want to dive into more resources analyzing the current state of floating wind?
- Read our analysis of the four main challenges that offshore wind in California faces here.
- Aegir Insight forceasts that floating wind will grow slower than expected. Read our analysis here.
- Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) releases Aegir Insights' report on global floating wind opportunities. Read the report here: “Floating Offshore Wind – A Global Opportunity”
Aegir Insights provides industry-leading intelligence powered by data science for offshore wind energy developers, governments and financial institutions.
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