Spain’s Ingeteam is working on a project to develop a new software tool to make it possible to calculate the optimal O&M strategies and reduce cost uncertainty of the operation of offshore wind farms.
In partnership with the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria (IHCantabria) and the marine energy company, EnerOcean, Ingeteam is looking to reduce the operational and financial risks associated with offshore wind farms.
The project, named “Poseidom”, has a total budget of EUR 643,703 and is financed by the Ministry of Economy & Competitiveness under the 2016 Challenges-Collaboration program.
The Poseidom project aims to develop a decision-making support tool with the capabilities to analyse the meteo-oceanic conditions at offshore wind farms, transportability to the farm by sea, and safe transfers between vessels and platforms.
The tool is also expected to provide comparison between the different types of fixed and floating platforms, with regard to wind farm accessibility and the transfer of technical personnel.
In the course of 2016, the offshore wind power industry installed 1,558 MW in Europe, making a cumulative total power capacity of 12,631 MW. Offshore wind farm O&M related costs account for up to 25% of total costs.
Once the Poseidom project is completed, it will be possible to optimize and improve strategies and equipment in order to achieve considerable cost savings, Ingeteam said.