This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Technology Developments in Offshore Wind Industry: Technology Market Penetration and Roadmapping provides a snapshot on the latest technology developments and an analysis of emerging offshore wind power technologies adoption factors and trends.
Wind energy is currently the most mature renewable energy in the market. The offshore wind market is predicted to experience good growth in the next few years. This situation is caused by increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy generation as well as dense urbanization, where countries have no option but to explore offshore locations. This research service offers insights on the technology roadmap and penetration prospects of offshore wind power generation related technologies, and recommendations for stakeholders to enhance their penetration in the offshore wind industry.
Technology Overview
Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines offer Lucrative Revenue Opportunities
Wind energy is the most mature technology among all renewable energy solutions. Finding appropriate sites for developing onshore wind farms might, however, soon pose a challenge due to dense urbanization (especially in western Europe) and concerns about the negative visual impact that wind farms could have on the surrounding environment. This is creating a promising window of opportunity for the offshore wind power industry. The increasing interest in offshore wind power is driving the development of new technologies. The most important of them is the foundation for offshore wind turbines that sometimes represent as much as 40 percent of the investment costs.
Future of Industry to Depend on Novel Developments in Foundation Solutions
The future of the offshore wind industry will depend on novel developments in foundation solutions for water 30-60 meters deep over the medium-term and, deeper than 60 meters over the long-term. The most attractive alternative for widely used mono piles currently are jacket foundations that can be used in water between 30 and 60 meters deep. For the longer term and far offshore wind projects, the most probable solution appears to be floating foundations. Frost & Sullivan research shows that the jacket foundation is in an almost commercial’ phase of development, while the floating foundation still requires a few more years of research, adds the analyst. Currently, only one prototype of wind turbine carried by floating foundation is in operation.
Key Topics Covered:
1. Executive Summary
2. Technology Snapshot and Trends
3. Impact Assessment and Analysis
4. Diffusion of Innovations and Needs Assessment
5. Opportunity Evaluation and Roadmapping
6. Key Patents
7. Appendix and Contact Details
[mappress] Offshore WIND staff, April 13, 2012