Mono-bucket foundation technology for offshore windfarms could be tested on the Deutsche Bucht Wind Farm offshore Germany.
The technology, developed by Universal Foundations, a Fred Olsen company, was picked for the Bucht wind farm as a pilot project. Two would be added to the farm, with accompanying winds turbines, adding 17MW to the 252MW project.
Deutsche Bucht is Northland Power’s third offshore wind project. It is in about 40m water depth, 95km northwest of the island of Borkum in the German North Sea.
The Mono Bucket technology has been adapted from suction caissons, which have been used for decades on offshore platforms for the oil industry. Universal Foundation has been advancing its application for the offshore wind market since 2002, with several pilot and test projects successfully undertaken since then.
Universal Foundation says the Mono Bucket has practically noise-free installation and a foundation structure that can be 100% decommissioned after the planned operational lifetime.
“In a commercial context, our design uses 20-25% less steel than a comparable monopile, reducing the CO2 emissions footprint. Our practically noise-free installation eliminates many of the challenging requirements around maximum noise emission levels. Our method and technology have a very low impact on marine habitats. And, by eliminating the need for seabed preparations like dredging and extensive rock dumping, offshore marine activities are considerably reduced. This is a real win for positively impacting the overall environmental footprint of offshore wind. Naturally, this also translates into significant cost reductions,” said Kristian Ascanius Jacobsen, Head of Business Development at Universal Foundation.
Universal Foundation has, in partnership with SIF and Harland & Wolff, secured funding from the European program DemoWind.
The extension of capacity at Deutsche Bucht has been made possible as part of a special German program set out by the German authorities BSH and BnetzA in 2016. Through this program, the industry has been given the opportunity to apply for extra grid capacity for the purpose of demonstrating above state-of-the-art technology.
“We’ll deploy two Mono Bucket foundations in the project, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to show the world what our foundations can do,” said Kristian Ravn, Managing Director of Universal Foundation.
Universal Foundation has, in partnership with SIF and Harland & Wolff, secured funding from the European program DemoWind.