A Norwegian company has developed a system comprising an aluminum frame, crane, and other tools that reduces the cost of installing offshore wind turbines by 50%.
An offshore wind turbine installation crane system. Photo: Windspider
One reason offshore wind power is expensive is that turbine installation requires massive crane vessels. To overcome this, the Norwegian company Windspider has developed a lightweight crane system that promises to halve the cost, New Atlas reported on March 26. The company has just received significant funding to develop and build the first full-scale system.
The new generation of offshore wind turbines is growing to an astonishing size. They consist of massive towers, even taller than some skyscrapers, topped with a generator box containing three blades long enough to sweep a diameter of over 310 meters. Lifting these enormous generators and blades to the top of the tower is no small feat, not to mention that this work is done from a crane ship bobbing on the waves. Such large crane ships can cost millions of dollars a day.
WindSpider's solution involves building an outer aluminum frame around the mast. This frame consists of cage-like sections that are relatively lightweight and easy to handle, and do not require modifications to the turbine design like the method using a crane.
At the top of the frame is a heavy-duty crane, adjustable to handle loads exceeding 1,500 tons. This crane is designed to embrace from both sides, with a large enough space in the middle to lift the generator box and position it on top of the turbine's support column.
WindSpider's propeller-like tool helps lift the wind turbine blades upwards. Photo: Windspider
Once the generator box installation is complete, WindSpider's "propeller tool" will grip each turbine blade from the ship's deck and pull it up. This tool attaches to one side of the frame and carries the blade up, rotating it into the correct position to attach it to the generator box. WindSpider designed this tool because lifting the massive blades with cranes in windy areas can be very difficult. Additionally, WindSpider designed another tool, also attached to the side of the frame for up-and-down movement, to help dismantle and replace parts of the generator box, which can weigh up to 400 tons, during maintenance.
WindSpider believes the new system can operate at altitudes exceeding 200 meters. The company also states that the system will help reduce installation and maintenance costs for both fixed and floating turbines by more than 50%.
Thu Thao (According to New Atlas )
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