Zero-subsidy offshore wind projects awarded in Germany and the Netherlands this year have raised high expectations worldwide. However, although these are significant competitiveness milestones, they are still bound to particular market characteristics that made them possible.
What is clear is that if development, construction, and financial risks are mitigated, technology developments can help bridge the gap to cope with merchant power prices. In fact, offshore projects can factor in up to five years of anticipated cost reductions because their commissioning dates are linked to those of the evacuation converter substations with such lead times.
Currently, all the large scale developers are submitting proposals for projects in the first half of next decade, in which they already count with the larger or envisaged new turbine platforms of the leading OEMs. A 12MW wind turbine has already been announced, but the other competitors could be trailing close or even leading that power rating in the working inception of their largest offshore wind turbines. It is known that projects being developed in East Anglia already foresee tip heights well above two hundred meters and generator sizes up into the MW teens.
Construction and maintenance cost savings from clustering may add up to those of scaling up allowing sustainable low pricing to make offshore wind a widespread energy option. However, in order to cope with the intense price pressures it is necessary that the supply chain keeps up with adequate cost reductions. Wind turbine components savings can be achieved by volumes and standardisation, but for independent suppliers a close partnership with the OEMs is needed in order to make the most of the full opportunities available from design architecture and maintenance optimisation.
The electrical system components have the same cost challenges than the rest, but they also have certain advantages and different options to jump the scaling up hurdles. In power conversion equipment in particular, solutions can be quickly developed even for the largest conceivable wind turbines, albeit following different paths with variable degrees of technical innovations. In a conservative sector like offshore wind, where the level of investments demands known risks, scaling up converters through modular increments of proven solutions is a given. However, innovations and differential technologies may also offer substantial cost opportunities facilitating new topologies. So, when evaluating low voltage and medium voltage converter alternatives, a system evaluation is worth looking at in order to assess any possible size thresholds.
In a recent in-house R&D study, Ingeteam has worked out the optimal electrical power conversion designs for offshore wind turbines up to 15 MW. The research, taking into account the complex set of parameters at play in LCoE, enabled us to develop a Medium Voltage Power Converter based on the parallelization of several conversion lines reaching up to the 15 MW power range. This new design is an effective solution for scaling up offshore turbine platforms.
Any diligent independent supplier knows that apart from offering competitive reliable equipment it is necessary to enable its OEM clients the approach to new technology options. This is the continuous aim of Ingeteam R&D in power converters. Having the lowest LCOE as the main driver, our team controls the metrics of MTBF and MTTR (Mean Time Between Failures & Mean Time To Repair) and strives for modularity in its designs in order to reach optimum compromises in line with the wind sector operation and maintenance dynamics. Following this philosophy, a range of power converters with 5-6MW incremental modules is available at sensible prices. The final objective it is not only delivering the right quality but also full LCOE competitiveness in order to help winning the expected tough auctions with the new generation of 10-20 MW offshore wind turbines, and conquer the world seas next decade.