According to the press release of DNV they are developing a common design standard to support the faster progress in the offshore floating wind industry. The conclusions from this joint industry project will provide best practices on principles and technical requirements and guidance for design, construction and in-service inspection work.
It is true that the bottom-fixed offshore wind industry is already booming but the deep waters around Japan, China, Southern Europe and the USA remains huge untapped resources for offshore floating wind energy. Johan Sandberg, the business development leader for wind at DNV, said that floating wind turbines introduce new risks and technological challenges related to stability, station keeping, power transmission and structural strength.
He added that economic aspects are likely to be challenging in the early phases. One barrier to the growth and development of this industry has been the lack of a design standard. Due to the expected growth in offshore floating wind turbines, there is a need for a fully fledged design standard. DNV’s existing offshore wind turbine standard for fixed installations and a recently developed DNV guideline on offshore floating structures will be used as a basis. It is still possible for other companies to join the project.
