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This paper develops a methodology to determine the installation costs of a floating wind farm installed offshore, the value of which depends on the type of floating offshore wind platform installed. In this context, several costs in the installation process have been defined: installation of the offshore wind generators, installation of the floating offshore wind substructures, installation of the anchoring and mooring, installation of the electric systems and the commissioning or start up of the floating offshore wind farm. Furthermore, several installation scenarios have been taken into consideration regarding the shipyard surface and draught, the number of lifts, the transport, the mooring strategy and the substation configuration. The method, tested for the region of Galicia and for three sorts of floating substructures: spar, semisubmersible and tensioned leg, allows to compare different alternatives of installing a floating offshore and the most important aspects of the costs proposed. It can be useful for investors who decide to use this type of offshore renewable energy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that offshore wind energy will tend towards the floating technologies their economic impact has not been practically evaluated yet. In this context, the aim of this article is to characterize the possible economic alternatives which can be considered in the life-cycle of floating offshore wind farms based on their life-cycle costs. Several groups of variables have been considered for determining these alternatives: wind turbines, floating platforms, mooring system, anchoring process, kind of seabed, electric system, installation, shipyard and maintenance. The method proposed has been applied to the case of the North-West coast of Spain (Galicia region). For this case test three different platforms have been analyzed: Tensioned Leg, Spar and Semisubmersible platforms. Results, which are presented by using maps of the area, conclude that offshore substation, string electric configuration and “tree fall” decommissioning method are the best options for minimizing the costs. In addition, the installation method will be conditioned by the type of floating platform and mooring material, whereas the disposition and anchor decisions are dependent on the geographic location. Results show how the methodology proposed is useful to characterize economically the life-cycle of a floating offshore wind farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology to determine the economic feasibility of a floating offshore wind farm. The methodology proposed considers that the life-cycle cost of a floating offshore wind farm is composed of the costs of each of the phases of its life-cycle (concept and definition, design and development, manufacturing, installation, exploitation and dismantling). Moreover, they are subdivided considering their sub-costs and taking into account the five components of a floating offshore wind farm: offshore wind turbine, floating platform, mooring, anchoring and electric system. The method ends when the economic feasibility indexes are calculated. The methodology has been used to analyse an offshore location: the Galician region (North-West of Spain). Results indicate that the best economic area in the Galician region is the area located from the Ría de Pontevedra to the Ría de Ribadeo. In addition, comparing the three floating offshore wind platforms, the semisubmersible platform and the spar platform are the best options in economic terms. The method proposed can be used to determine the economic keys in order to develop a floating offshore wind farm in any location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to determine the influence that location has in the life-cycle of a floating offshore wind farm. For this purpose several steps have been considered: determination of the location variables, formulation of the costs whose value depends on these location variables, development of the location economic indexes based on the Levelized Cost of Energy and the Cost of Power, and introduction of the restricted areas where farms cannot be installed. This method will be applied to the particular case of a floating offshore wind farm with semisubmersible platforms and located in the Galician area (North-West of Spain). Results indicate the best location areas where a floating offshore wind farm can be installed in the region selected. This methodology will be useful to determine the importance of the location settings in terms of a floating offshore wind farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of offshore wind energy will be in deep waters. In this context, the main objective of the present paper is to develop a sensitivity analysis of a floating offshore wind farm. It will show how much the output variables can vary when the input variables are changing. For this purpose two different scenarios will be taken into account: the life-cycle costs involved in a floating offshore wind farm (cost of conception and definition, cost of design and development, cost of manufacturing, cost of installation, cost of exploitation and cost of dismantling) and the most important economic indexes in terms of economic feasibility of a floating offshore wind farm (internal rate of return, net present value, discounted pay-back period, levelized cost of energy and cost of power). Results indicate that the most important variables in economic terms are the number of wind turbines and the distance from farm to shore in the costs’ scenario, and the wind scale parameter and the electric tariff for the economic indexes. This study will help investors to take into account these variables in the development of floating offshore wind farms in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main developments in offshore wind power are focused on wind turbines with foundations on seabed. However, there exist important limitations for installing these structures exist in places with high depth within short distance from the coast. This means that the progress of offshore wind energy around the world is tied to the development of safety and low cost floating platforms for renewable energy offshore devices . Therefore, the first aim of this paper is to know which alternatives exist for a floating offshore wind farm establishment and design parameters are independent or dependent of platform configuration. In order to evaluate each alternative, the request inversion for each configuration has been analysed. From this point of view, the conclusion is that a string configuration for the electrical network is better than a star configuration. With regard to maintenance, it would be better to have a proper vessel only if the number of trips is more than three. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to apply a method to determine the economic feasibility of floating offshore wind farms at Portugal continental coast. The method proposed has several phases: geographic, economic and restrictions. The objective of the geographic phase is to estimate the input variables that will be afterwards used to calculate the economic parameters in the economic phase. The restriction of bathymetry, the last stage, is then added to the economic maps previously calculated, whose value will be different depending on the floating offshore wind device chosen. In this study, two scenarios for electric tariff have been taken into consideration as well several floating offshore wind substructures: semisubmersible, TLP and spar. Results indicate what is the best floating offshore wind platform in terms of economic parameters and where is the best area, in the study region, to implement floating offshore wind farms. • a method to determine the economic feasibility of floating offshore wind farms at Portugal continental coast is applied. • The method proposed has several phases: geographic, economic and restrictions. • The restriction of bathymetry, the last stage, is then added to the economic maps previously calculated. • Two scenarios for electric tariff have been taken into consideration as well several floating offshore wind substructures. • Results indicate what is the best floating offshore wind platform in terms of economic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]