The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

RWE tests the TetraSpar floating wind turbine off Norway

2021-12-01T14:36:21.153Z


Offshore wind farms could play an important role in energy supply in the future. The energy company RWE is now testing a new technology in which the wind turbines are anchored to the seabed with a chain.


Enlarge image

“TetraSpar” system off the coast: fixed to the seabed with anchor chains

Photo: TetraSpar Demonstrator ApS

"Everything that can run on electricity, we will run on electricity," announced Norway's newly elected Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a recent SPIEGEL interview.

In particular, he wants to focus on more hydropower and more wind power - and could soon benefit from a development by the German energy company RWE.

Together with three other companies, RWE is testing a floating wind turbine off the coast of the Scandinavian country.

The turbine stands on the world's first fully industrially manufactured floating foundation, announced the RWE Renewables division.

The prototype called "TetraSpar" was successfully connected to the Norwegian power grid.

In addition to RWE, the energy companies Shell (Netherlands) and Tepco (Japan) as well as the Danish technology company Stiesdal, which developed the turbine platform, are involved.

The energy companies hope that the TetraSpar concept will result in faster production, assembly and erection, as well as lower material costs.

Location with a water depth of 200 meters

According to RWE, the floating foundation has a keel element that is attached to the seabed with three anchor chains.

The prototype with a 3.6 megawatt wind turbine is located around 16 kilometers off the Norwegian coast.

The water depth there is about 200 meters.

The electricity is conducted to the mainland by cable.

The design could help make offshore wind turbines easier to install and connect in numerous locations that were previously difficult to access.

RWE sees itself as a pioneer in floating wind turbines.

The company plans to have plants with a total capacity of 1000 megawatts in operation or under construction by 2030.

RWE is currently also involved in two other pilot projects in Spain and the USA, which, according to a spokeswoman, are not yet in operation.

apr / dpa

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2021-12-01

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.