Power & Energy Solutions

The premier renewable energy publication

Ask the Experts, Exclusive Articles, Wind

Years of experience and a large fleet of vessels mean that Northern Offshore Services are well placed, as leading operators in crew transport vessels (CTV) primarily in the offshore wind industry. David Kristensson, the CEO, got together with PES to catch us up on the latest developments and give us his outlook on the future. PES: Welcome back to PES Wind magazine. Thanks for talking with us. For the benefit of our new readers would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background and experience of Northern Offshore Services and the importance of the wind industry to you? David Kristensson: The background and the experience of Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) is that we have roots in the shipping industry and come from a maritime culture. We have been working with shipping and vessels for generations and ten years ago we started a new company that has become Northern Offshore Services. In this company our focus is the niche market in specialised shipping. Our biggest business is crew transfer vessels for offshore wind, so the wind industry, is of course, very important to us. Today, as one of the leading operators in this sector we operate approximately 40 vessels. PES: Has there

Read More
Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles, Wind

Anders Helsinghoff Fjord, CEO at North Sea Hagland Shipbrokers (NSHS) is a regular participant in PES Wind. Here he gives us his thoughts on the company, the industry and the future. He has experienced many changes over the years. His company offers a variety of services to the offshore wind industry, which are backed up by years of experience and expertise. NSHS have worked in the offshore renewables industry worldwide since 2007 and are proud to be one of the preferred shipbrokers, supporting companies with the very important job of chartering or buying a vessel. The company was established in 1976 and after merging with Hagland our history goes back as far as 1872. We have continued to grow over the years and in 2018 we acquired a shipbrokering company in Germany. So now we have 2 employees in Hamburg, under GmbH. This has strengthened our position and now we can offer many services. Geographical location Our main renewables operation area is Europe, where we work mainly on projects in Denmark, Germany, UK and Norway. We are also very active in the US and Taiwan, where the renewables industry is developing quickly. We have sold over 1000 vessels worldwide and have closed charter agreements

Read More
Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles, Wind

When CEO Mik Henriksen founded MHO-Co in 2015, he could not have known that in only three years, his vision of designing vessels of the best reliability and safety in the industry, and at a low cost, would be a reality. Today, boasting five vessels, having already reached the 2020 target, MHO-Co covers the demand for transportation between shore and wind farm in the ‘greenest’ and economically viable way. PES discovered the strategies necessary to fulfil the dream. With roots in working with aluminium ferries dating back to 1993, Mik Henriksen has dealt with all operational aspects since, maintenance, operation and commercially, and has been involved in designing and building fast ferries and CTVs. Previously COO for KEM-Offshore ApS (Esbjerg), a role in which he thrived and converted a 13-manned business to one of 70, Mr Henriksen has gained qualifications in both MBA (2013) and CBA (2015), which inspired him to create MHO-Co in October 2015. The goal was to primarily provide services to the wind farm industry, transporting personnel and equipment back and forth to offshore wind farms with the best reliability and safety in the industry, and low cost. With the expert team at MHO-Co sharing its knowledge of equipment,

Read More
Exclusive Articles, Talking Point, Wind

Since 2016 MegaWindForce has been working on a special type of wind turbine with remarkable characteristics. The team found a way of improving electricity production by leaving off 1/3 of the blade! Innovative carbon production methods make this attainable. A worldwide patent was granted on this invention. With the growth of the size of turbine rotors, the driving torque at the blade root section increases more than linearly, with the length of the blade. In the case where the same materials and concept are being used, the weight increases cubically with size, demanding heavier structures to withstand forces. The low rotational speed meant the hub needed to be bigger, for the direct drive generators and heavy gearboxes. By replacing the main shaft with a ring-shaped generator-support combination, the disadvantages of classical up scaling are eliminated. The Concept The rotor area, close to the rotor centre, contributes only a small part to the energy production of a ‘classical’ wind turbine. This area plays a crucial role in supporting the blades and absorbing the driving forces of the generator system. In the MWF concept, forces are spread equally over the large surface of the ring, avoiding stress concentrations. Since the ring is sized 1/3 of

Read More
Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Wind

Data can be our crystal ball. With advanced analytical tools, we can harness the flow of data from turbines, solar cells, dams, our organisations and even external sources, such as energy markets, to optimize performance and earnings. You can look into the future, now. Businesses thrive on predictability. Stable demand, stable supply, stable operations and, if we’re doing it right, stable growth and positive development that leaves us, and all our stakeholders, with stable smiles on our faces. However, renewables are unpredictable. The supply of energy we convert is inherently unstable – it fluctuates according to the whims and fancies of a power beyond our control, that of Mother Nature. Hydropower is perhaps the exception, as dams offer operators a steady means of power storage and production. All we have to do is, quite literally, turn on the tap. Nevertheless, unpredictable weather patterns, such as prolonged dry periods, can impact upon even this most proven and reliable of renewable sources. So, how do we bring predictability into this new energy arena? We can’t tame Mother Nature, but we can learn from her, from ourselves, from our equipment, and from the energy market to continually adapt and optimize our assets and operations. In doing

Read More
Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles, Wind

Jan De Nul Group was contracted by Ørsted to transport and install 36 monopile foundations and the scour protection works around all 56 foundations for the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm. The cable installation works connecting the OWF to the offshore substation were also executed by Jan De Nul on behalf of TenneT. Thus, proving the efficiency of a bolted connection between MP and TP. Germany continues to invest in green energy. By early 2019 approximately 460,000 additional households will be provided with sustainable wind-generated electricity by the Borkum Riffgrund 2 Offshore Wind Farm. Borkum Riffgrund 2 counts 56 Vestas turbines of 8MW each, resulting in a total capacity of 450 MW. Twenty turbines were installed on 50-metre-high jackets with 10-metre-high suction buckets. Thirty-six other turbines were placed on top of monopile foundations. In the summer of 2016, the owner and developer Ørsted Wind Power A/S awarded the contract for the installation of the monopile foundations to the Jan De Nul Group. The scope comprised the temporary storage, transport and installation of 36 monopile foundations (MPs), 36 Transition Pieces (TPs) bolted on top of the MPs, and the anode cages. The Jan De Nul Group was also responsible for the supply,

Read More
Exclusive Articles, PES Essential, Wind

Some years ago, the offshore wind industry was primarily a high-priced and tough European adventure. But, mainly as a consequence of intense private-public collaborations in the key countries nearby Irish, North and Baltic seas, this situation has dramatically changed. Nowadays, the offshore industry is widely recognized as a key component for the future generation mix, proudly showing a flourishing market with a new range of turbines, well-built supply chain and continuously optimized costs. As a result of this recent market progress, other countries beyond Europe have focused on offshore solutions too, arranging plans for gross spread of this industry mainly in North America and Asia. As an example, more than 1GW of offshore was installed in China during 2017 and determined programs for offshore expansion, have recently been set in the US for the next decade. The Indian government has recognized that both the demand for electricity and the need to decarbonize is going to rise steadily and so has defined forceful objectives for 2022. Thus, offshore wind is set to become a relevant sector in the medium and longer-term plans. The areas of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have already been identified, as places where strong and steady resources of clean energy, can be

Read More
Exclusive Articles, Think Tank, Wind

The role foundations play in the deployment of larger, heavier, more powerful wind turbines, in deeper waters and further from shore, has perhaps not received the attention it deserves. But it is crucial in driving down offshore wind’s levelised cost of energy to the point where it can compete with fossil fuel and nuclear sources. Technology and costs compared Fixed foundations, whether monopile, jacket or gravity base designs, now support towers and turbines that weigh well over 1,000 tonnes and have a tip height of more than 200 metres. The foundations need to be able to do this, in high winds and heavy seas, for at least the 25 years of the turbine’s anticipated operating life. Monitoring the structural integrity of the foundations, especially in the critical areas of greatest strain – just above and below the seabed – requires high expertise and state of the art test and measurement technology. This is a field where industry development has outstripped design standards. There is no easy guide for offshore developers. In this report, technology leader HBM Test and Measurement compares resistive and fiber-optical gauge systems for offshore wind foundations. To help design verification, or as a system to provide long-term assurance that the foundations

Read More
Ask the Experts, Exclusive Articles, Wind

PES caught up with Hans Gatzemeier, Managing Director, ELA Container Offshore GmbH, to ask him about their temporary accommodation solutions. These are availbale for sale or rent and standardised modules can be customised to fit various requirements. Crew comfort and safety are paramount. PES: Welcome back to PES Wind magazine, it’s great to talk with you again. For the benefit of our new readers would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of the ELA Container Offshore GmbH and the importance of the offshore wind industry to you? Hans Gatzemeier: Thank you for the warm welcome! In a nutshell: ELA Container Offshore GmbH is a supplier of temporary accommodation solutions for the offshore market. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Lower Saxony, Germany and we are a young and fast growing company. Since our last meeting, our team has grown to 23 highly motivated professionals and at the end of last year we moved into our brand new production facilities in Haren, Ems. Our core business is supplying temporary offshore accommodation solutions and we are enjoying a high demand from all offshore markets. The offshore wind industry has developed into a very successful segment for

Read More
Comment, Exclusive Articles, Wind

As the wind industry continues to grow and mature, O&M models for the servicing of wind farms are becoming more diversified. With increasing competition and margins under pressure, it’s crucial to adopt an O&M model that is cost-efficient while securing high availability. Over the last decade, while the wind industry was still maturing, most development companies had a clear focus on portfolio growth. This resulted in a quick build-up of competencies around project development and construction, with less focus on O&M strategies. But as more owners in the industry became industrial – overseeing GWs rather than MWs of installed capacity – the need for more strategic asset management became apparent. Like other industry players with roots in the conventional energy sector, EC&R adopted the proven approach that has been applied to hydro, coal, gas and nuclear assets for over 100 years: performance optimization during operational lifetime, and lifetime extension to maximise returns on both past and future investments. Choosing the right O&M model Today, there are three main wind O&M service models available in the market: OEM services, Independent Service Provider services and self-perform/in-house O&M: Buying a wind turbine from a manufacturer typically comes with an OEM (full) service contract. Such a contract is

Read More
© 2012+ P&G Media. CR. 5706994. Registered in England and Wales | Power and Energy Solutions is published by P&G Media