Ship&Offshore | Ausgabe 06/2016
XXL monopiles
Foundations The choice of foundations for offshore wind farms depends on the water depth and seabed. The industry has mainly relied on monopiles and the tried-and-tested material steel up to now. Manufacturers of XXL-sized pipes, which are suitable for deep water and new-generation wind turbines, are setting the pace. Their use is limited by crane capacity and the necessary pile-driving equipment, however. Jackets and suction buckets are trustworthy alternatives. Freelance specialist journalist Torsten Thomas reports.
A quick look at the current statistics published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) clearly shows the market situation for substructures. Of the 3,230 wind turbines that were installed by the end of 2015, 2,851 systems were installed on monopiles. That’s a cumulative market share of 80.1%. The 178 jackets took second place with a modest market share of 5.4%. This dominance is also clearly visible in the year 2015. The market share for large-diameter pipes was 97% last year. “Monopiles are in the lead and it’s going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, we’re seeing consolidation in the market in the areas of construction and installation, and customers won’t necessarily be happy about this,” said Dirk Briese, managing director of trend:research GmbH, a Bremen-based market research company.