Design parameters independent on the type of platform in floating offshore wind farms

Abstract

The main developments in offshore wind power are focused on wind turbines with foundations on seabed. However, there exist important limitations for installing these structures in places with high depth within short distance from the coast. This means that the progress of offshore wind energy around the world is tied to the development of safety and low cost floating platforms for renewable energy offshore devices [ 1 ]. Therefore, the first aim of this paper is to know which alternatives exist for a floating offshore wind farm establishment and design parameters are independent or dependent of platform configuration. In order to evaluate each alternative, the request inversion for each configuration has been analyzed. From this point of view, the conclusion is that a string configuration for the electrical network is better than a star configuration. Moreover, an accommodation platform cannot be established due to the fact that it would increase the costs considerably. With regard to maintenance, it would be better to have a proper vessel only if the number of trips is more than three.