Blade Researchers Cutting Into LCOE

Ten European partners have teamed up to develop novel offshore wind turbine blade technologies in an effort to lower the levelised cost of energy (LCOE).

The EUR 4 million Demowind-funded project, Offshore Demonstration Blade (ODB), aims to develop seven new technologies which could lead to a collective reduction in LCOE of 4.7%.

ODB will be coordinated by the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult Development Services (ODSL), CENER, Bladena, TNO, Aerox, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Total Wind, Dansk IngeniørService (DIS), the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the Cardenal Herrera University (CEU) in Spain.

The project is supporting the research, development and demonstration of wind turbine blade innovations, including aerodynamic and structural enhancements, blade monitoring systems and blade erosion protection solutions.

The products will be developed and retrofitted to the ORE Catapult’s 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine in Scotland for demonstration purposes, after which the innovations will be ready for deployment on existing or new offshore turbines, the partners said.

According to the partners, improving the performance and operational lifetime of turbine blades will have a direct impact on lowering LCOE since O&M costs represent almost a quarter of the total LCOE of an offshore wind turbine, with rotor O&M, specifically blade erosion and structural integrity, representing a large share of these costs.

Chris Hill, Operational Performance Director at ORE Catapult, said: “This project aims to develop a number of innovative technologies that have huge potential to further reduce the cost of offshore wind. Having a dedicated platform on which to demonstrate these technologies, the Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine, will improve our understanding of how they operate in real-world conditions and the impact they will have on blade performance, operations and cost of energy.”

ORE Catapult unveiled its 7MW Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine in February 2016.

The demonstration turbine offers UK industry and academia an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of a wide range of technologies, as well as the operations and maintenance aspects of offshore wind turbines, with the ultimate goal of reducing the cost of energy.