© Supplied by Stillstrom Electric service and crew transfer vessels can save money and cut emissions for offshore wind, new research has confirmed.
Two studies commissioned by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) add to the company’s efforts to explore the potential for using battery-powered vessels with offshore charging to serve offshore wind farms.
SPR said on June 5 that the two reports – by MJR Power and Automation and Oasis Marine – were the last in a series of three that it had commissioned to explore options for decarbonising offshore windfarm operations.
The studies consolidated initial findings that the electrification of offshore operations was technically feasible using battery-powered service operation vessels (E-SOVs), which stay out at sea for extended periods. They also confirmed that it was technically and operationally feasible to use electric crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to serve wind farms located closer to shore.
In both scenarios, SPR said, wind farms would benefit environmentally and economically from a “significant” reduction in both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel costs.
The MJR study found that electrical options were particularly suitable for offshore wind farm operations owing to the possibility of regular charges directly at offshore energy production sites and at shore-based quay sides. It also found that electric operations and maintenance vessels would become cheaper than their counterparts powered by marine gas oil (MGO) within the next few years. According to the study, operating expenses are already competitive with MGO-powered vessels for SOVs and expected to become fully competitive for CTVs around 2027-28.
© Supplied by Oasis Marine PowerThe Oasis Marine study, meanwhile, found that electric CTVs charged by the firm’s field charging solution the Oasis Power Buoy, offers protection from fossil fuel price volatility as well as the high costs of alternative green fuels. According to the study, which examined the use of three electric CTVs at a case study wind farm, this will enable costs to be predictable and in line with the operator’s business model. The study identified potential savings of 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as well as fuel cost savings of around £15m over the wind farm’s anticipated life span of 25 years.
“These latest studies have the potential to help the industry take a step closer to a new era for offshore wind farm operations – not just here in the UK, but right across the globe,” stated SPR’s managing director for offshore, Ross Ovens. “The valuable depth and insight this research offers – regardless of whether you’re considering an SOV or CTV operating model – could help inform future wind farm operations as the country continues to build the green generation we need to meet the expected doubling of electricity demand.”
The two studies come after the first study in the series, carried out by SPR and Stillstrom by Maersk, was published in February. That study also found that offshore wind farms could be serviced by battery-powered zero-emission vessels charged from the wind farms’ own turbines in the future.
Stillstrom has been developing technology aimed at speeding up the adoption of charging and electrification for SOVs serving the offshore wind industry. To this end, the company has formed several partnerships with North Sea players including North Star, Ørsted and the Port of Aberdeen to explore opportunities for offshore charging.
The findings from the studies commissioned by SPR are being shared through the Operation Zero initiative, which was launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, bringing together developers and supply chain companies to establish zero-emission operations and maintenance vessels.
“It’s great to see developers and the supply chain working together to develop the solutions and best practice that will be a game changer for the industry as a whole,” stated the Operation Zero steering committee’s Leo Hambro. “Through studies like these, we will be able to learn, innovate and accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vessels and technologies to achieve a sustainable maritime future.”
