Strainstall has installed sensors on to a new ‘Suction Bucket Jacket’ foundation, which is currently being trialled at the Borkum Riffgrund 1 Offshore Wind Farm in Germany.
The company, subcontracted by Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) as part of their Structural and Environmental Monitoring (SEM) solution, installed 126 different sensors from the turbine tower down to the foundations, below the water line and also below the mudline, utilising a method of mechanical protection developed by NGI.
The innovative foundation, based on similar foundations which have used successfully within the oil and gas industry, have been designed to help cut the costs of electricity from offshore wind farms. The structure was successfully deployed in August 2014 by Dong Energy as part of its collaboration with the UK’s Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA).