Narec's plans to develop an offshore wind farm site in the North Sea, comprising 20 !
pre-consented "pods", at which tenants may deploy their prototype or demonstration
turbines and foundations. These pods will be in four rows, increasing in distance
offshore and with water depths of 15, 35, 45 and 55 metres to allow testing of
alternative installation and foundation types, as indicated below. It would provide an
offshore wind demonstration site with conditions representative of typical Round 3
offshore wind projects.
The first phase of this development comprises expenditure of £18.5 million, planned
to be funded by DECC, and covering the cost of acquiring the two near shore
turbines, together with building the onshore grid connection substation and an
offshore environmental monitoring station and undertaking environmental monitoring
prior to deployment of additional turbines in the offshore pods. Currently there is an
information failure around the understanding of prototype wind farm design for
offshore applications. The funding will also cover Narec support projects in wind and
marine and site infrastructure development required. £4.35 SP will complement this
government funding in 2011/12 to complete electrical infrastructure work required to
form a connection point onshore for accepting the offshore energy generated.
The two existing turbines which are about 1 km from the coastline are likely to be 1
used as 'test beds' for new components. It is not anticipated that they will 'appear' !
any different as their overall dimensions will remain the same and no changes are
envisioned to their foundations however it is likely that equipment will be attached to
the turbines for testing (possibly wave power generation). The five turbines located
within the first row of the new demonstration site are expected to be 'prototypes' built 1'
by manufacturers that cannot secure onshore sites for testing due to the size of the
new turbines and possibly noise and visual issues. These turbines will be installed at I
least 2km from the shoreline.