SUBTASK 1
OFFSHORE WIND – EXPERIENCE WITH CRITICAL DEPLOYMENT ISSUES

Current experience with offshore wind turbine installations is providing valuable technical information that will aid future offshore wind developments. In general, many wind installations face the same technical issues, but variability in the local conditions for each individual wind power project can add a high degree of uncertainty. This variability, which includes a wide range of issues, may influence the success of a particular project.

To accelerate the successful proliferation of offshore wind worldwide, timely exchange information and lessons learned from existing offshore facilities will be essential. This mutual exchange will lead to a better understanding of offshore siting and design requirements. Moreover, an objective for sharing information is to perform an R&D gap analysis, identifying the deficiencies between the established offshore knowledge base and what is required for a mature offshore wind industry in both shallow and deep water.

Ultimately the annex would focus on reducing the costs and uncertainties of offshore wind facilities.

In year one of this annex, the participants will exchange information on the critical issues identified during the Fredericia TEM #43 and then narrow down the number of topics listed under the Research Areas below. One meeting for each research area will be held in the first year of the annex and proceedings will be published from these working groups.

(The Operating Agent may decide to combine two or more Research Areas into a single meeting for convenience.) R&D areas of common interest, agreed upon by member countries, will be selected for further investigation in year two of the annex.

Below are the five critical issues ranked as priorities for either R&D or information exchanges from the Fredericia TEM #43. The suggested areas of collaboration are potential R&D projects that could be pursued by member countries with a common interest.

Research Area #1 - External Conditions

Suggested areas of collaboration:
• Exchange, validate, and evaluate wind resource data and wind maps specific to regions with high potential for wind development.
• Share databases and innovations to enhance measurement accuracy of marine buoys pertaining to long-term sea-state and MET-Ocean data.
• Technical exchange of wave loading methods and validation experience of wave loading on wind turbine structures.
• Share experience with long-term measurement techniques and instrumentation at offshore stations.

Research Area #2 - Operation and Maintenance

Suggested areas of collaboration:
• Exchange experience with offshore wind turbine design practices benefiting O&M
• Compare experience with remote condition monitoring sensors and SCADA integration facilitating wind turbine O&M.
• Share service and inspection experience for O&M
• Share safety and reliability data to help validate codes and standards.
• Exchange technical experience with offshore forecasting to predict wind plant output.
• Exchange data on human factors related to offshore wind installation to ensure safe working environments.

Research Area #3 - Ecological Issues and Regulations
(The first four bullets are from the IEA Technical Experts Meeting # 40 in Husum, September 2002.)

Suggested areas of collaboration:
• Baseline data and research methods
• Develop methods to share baseline data and research methods for pre- and post-construction studies
• Impacts on the environment (assessment criteria)
• Experience and application of Environmental Impact Assessments
• Summarize preliminary conclusions from environmental impact assessments among nations that have offshore facilities (this area is similar to one of the objectives of Concerted action for Offshore wind energy Deployment [COD]. This annex will collaborate with these activities whenever appropriate).
• Potential cumulative effects to the marine ecology
• Comparative methodologies and preliminary conclusions from avian and mammal surveys
• Permitting process
• Streamlining planning and approval procedures
• Educating the regulators and facilitating interagency cooperation
• Pre- and post-construction monitoring of operating wind facilities
• Public (stakeholder) involvement and acceptance
• Decommissioning processes and procedures

Research Area #4 - Electric system integration

Suggested areas of collaboration:
• Compare local data on grid dynamic behaviour and controllability.
• Exchange data on grid stability and fault requirements to develop reasonable performance standards.
• Exchange experience on wind plant power balance and effects of multiple turbine aggregation on the grid.
• Reserves, see Annex XXI

Research Area #5 – Wind Facilities Technology and Design

Suggested areas of collaboration:
• Layout and array effects (Energy production, mutual shadow effects of large, closely spaced farms)
• New turbine and foundation designs for shallow water facilities