Repair of wind turbine foundations
Introduction
Offshore wind energy is, in the same way as land wind energy, an application of the force produced by the wind. The difference with respect to that obtained on land lies in the fact that the wind turbines are located offshore.
Its installation cost is much higher than that of terrestrial areas, but its useful life is also longer. In addition, the costs of foundations and anchors have decreased in recent years, so the price per megawatt (MW) of power "Power (physical)") is becoming equal to other renewable energies.
The country where offshore wind energy began was Denmark. As of January 2020, Hornsea 1 in the UK is the world's largest offshore wind farm at 1,218 MW.
This type of energy generation also has the approval of environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, since they consider its renewable nature and its minimal impact on the ecosystem to be very important.
Furthermore, offshore wind energy has, according to experts, a promising future, especially in countries with a high population density that reduces the chances of finding a suitable location on land. Currently, marine parks are located in shallow waters, far from commercial marine routes, military sites and areas of natural interest. The distance to the coast must be at least 2 kilometers to better take advantage of the wind.[1].
In Spain, the first floating offshore wind project is DemoSATH, a 2MW wind turbine installed in the BiMEP testing area (Armintza, Bizkaia) and which has been developed by the Basque engineering company Saitec Offshore Technologies. For two years it will be tested in open water, with a depth of 85 meters, with the aim of knowing its behavior and analyzing its coexistence with the environment.
Advantages and disadvantages
Some of the advantages of offshore wind energy are as follows:.
The disadvantages of offshore wind energy are:
Offshore wind generators
The machinery used in marine generators is the same as for classic generators. The only significant difference that exists is the size of the turbines, since for a marine installation the foundation and wiring is very expensive, therefore it is more profitable to install high-power turbines.