The EU's energy independence through the North Sea

[GuyGadeboisTheBack]

Say, does that have nothing to do with containment?

[moinsdewatt]

Say, does that have nothing to do with containment?

Yeah, for a first message, it's a bit missed ......

[moinsdewatt]

Denmark moves forward with North Sea energy island mega-project

AFP published on 05 Feb 2021

Denmark has taken a new step towards the construction of an artificial island for the production of energy in the North Sea, the government said on Friday, leading this gigantic project estimated at nearly 30 billion euros.

"We hope the project will have an even greater influence, inspiring others," Danish Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen said in an interview with AFP.

Planned to be built 80 kilometers from the coast of Jutland in western Denmark to capture powerful winds, this "energy hub" would connect 200 and eventually 600 large offshore wind turbines.

"At this point, the start of construction should take place in 2026 and we hope it is finished between 2030 or 2033", a spokesperson for the Ministry of Climate told AFP, although Denmark has yet to find private investors for the project.

With a capacity of 3 then 10 gigawatts, the project managers are advancing electricity production to supply 3 to 10 million homes.

Presented as a world first and the largest project ever carried out in Denmark, the project will be majority owned by the Danish government, in partnership with private actors via a call for tenders which has yet to be launched.

It is currently estimated at 210 billion crowns, or nearly 28 billion euros.

After a first stage in June, the Danish Parliament validated an additional stage on Thursday, by validating the concept of artificial island.

Vast from 12 to 46 hectares, this one must fulfill its role of "hub" (transit center) by connecting by submarine cables several neighboring countries of the North Sea, such as Norway or Germany, in addition to Denmark.

By improving the connection to the electricity networks of Northern Europe, the project should allow better distribution of wind power over long distances, one of the major challenges of so-called "intermittent" sources such as wind turbines or solar panels.

The island must also house a center for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water, powered by wind electricity.

The rest of the project includes environmental impact assessments and discussions with investors, suggesting that there is still a long way to go before it comes to fruition.

The project is part of Denmark's efforts to reduce its CO70 emissions by 2% by 2030 from 1990 levels, one of the most ambitious targets in Europe.

In addition to the project in the North Sea, another "energy hub" is planned off the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... ord-210205

[moinsdewatt]

Offshore wind power: the Netherlands at the top of European installations in 2020

published on February 10, 2021

In 2020, 356 new offshore wind turbines (2) spread over 9 wind farms were commissioned in European waters (Europe is understood here in the broad sense including the United Kingdom and Norway) according to Wind Europe. It was neither the United Kingdom nor Germany which installed the most offshore wind turbines in 2020 but the Netherlands (+ 1 MW, or nearly half of new European installations in 493), ahead of Belgium (+ 2020 MW). Next are the British (+ 706 MW) and German (+ 483 MW) offshore wind giants, as well as Portugal (+ 219 MW).

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... 020-210209

[moinsdewatt]

Vestas wins first contract for its 15 MW wind turbine

Posted on 09/07/2021 lemarin

German energy company EnBW has selected Vestas as the preferred supplier for its 900 MW He Dreiht farm. If the contract is confirmed, this would be the first commercial deployment for the Danish turbine manufacturer's 15 MW offshore wind turbine.

https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/secteur ... enne-de-15

I missed it last February:

Vestas Launches 15MW Offshore Wind Turbine
February 10, 2021, by Adnan Durakovic

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has introduced the V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine.

With the world's largest swept area exceeding 43,000 m2, the V236-15.0 MW delivers industry-leading performance and moves the boundaries of wind energy production to around 80 GWh / year, enough to power around 20,000 European households, Vestas said.

The launch of the V236-15.0 MW model is part of Vestas' plan to become the leading wind turbine manufacturer in offshore wind. The plan was launched recently with the full acquisition of the MHI Vestas Offshore Wind joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

“Introducing our new offshore platform is a huge achievement for everyone at Vestas, as it marks a big leap forward in a very important journey,” Henrik Andersen, Vestas President and CEO, said.

”As a global renewables leader, every decision Vestas takes today must be in service of building scale for renewables in the future - only by doing this can we ensure a more sustainable future energy system. Offshore wind will play an integral role in the growth of wind energy and the V236-15.0 MW will be a driver in this development by lowering levelized cost of energy thus making our customers more competitive in offshore tenders going forward. ”

Serial Production in 2024
The globally applicable offshore turbine offers 65 percent higher annual energy production than the V174-9.5 MW, according to Vestas.

For a 900 MW wind farm, the model boosts production by five percent with 34 fewer turbines. The turbine is said to offer excellent partial-load production, resulting in a more stable energy production, and a capacity factor over 60 percent depending on site-specific conditions.

The first V236-15.0 MW prototype is expected to be installed in 2022, while serial production is scheduled for 2024.

The V236-15.0 MW will harness the optimum design synergies from Vestas' existing turbine platforms, such as the 9 MW and EnVentus, and expand the industrialization of turbine design through a modular approach to scale components, the turbine maker said.

”With the V236-15.0 MW, we raise the bar in terms of technological innovation and industrialization in the wind energy industry, in favor of building scale,” Anders Nielsen, Vestas Chief Technology Officer, said.

”By leveraging Vestas' extensive proven technology, the new platform combines innovation with certainty to offer industry-leading performance while reaping the benefits of building on the supply chain of our entire product portfolio. The new offshore platform forms a solid foundation for future products and upgrades. ”

https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/02/10 ... d-turbine/

[moinsdewatt]

Scotland ahead in floating wind power. The 6th and last floating 9.5 MW wind turbine was installed on the Kincardine wind farm.
It is currently the largest floating wind farm in the world.

Floating wind farm in Scotland
The fifth and final floating wind turbine is now connected to its moorings at the Kincardine wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Connector technology company First Subsea said the last Vestas V174 9.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine was connected this past weekend. First Subsea will help with the connection of the cable protection system for the dynamic cables later this summer.

Once it's live, the 50 MW Kincardine project, which was developed by the Madrid-headquartered Cobra Group, will be the world's largest floating offshore wind farm, with six turbines about nine miles (14 km) off the coast. It consists of a 2 MW Vestas turbine, which has been operating since October 2018, and five 9.5 MW Vestas turbines. Kincardine will generate up to 218 GWh of power annually, which will be enough to power around 55,000 households in Scotland.

https://electrek.co/2021/07/07/egeb-fin ... wind-farm/

[sicetaitsimple]

Three announcements in late 2020 / early 2021 on the commissioning or testing of three HV / DC links, essential if indeed offshore wind power is to become a major source of production in Northern Europe:

- Nordlink, between Germany and Norway, 1400MW
- Alegro, between Germany and Belgium (underground land link), 1000MW. Until now Germany and Belgium had no interconnection.
- IFA 2 between France and England, 1000MW.

One more, Eleclink of 1000MW which passes through the Channel Tunnel.
https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/e ... s.N2007682

[Christophe]

Uh why convert to DC for such a short distance?

[sicetaitsimple]

Uh why convert to DC for such a short distance?

The main reason is that UK and "Europe" (enstoe) are not synchronous, hence the technical impossibility of switching to AC.

And the second if one was needed, is that it is a purely commercial link whose flows (+/- 1000MW) must be able to be controlled.

[sicetaitsimple]

First production from the Saint Nazaire offshore park.
https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/la- ... ccbe4e7aa0