OWC completes wind condition review for future German offshore wind tendering sites
OWC has completed a project for the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie/BSH) to analyse and assess wind conditions for a future German offshore wind tendering site N-6.7.
OWC, an ABL Group company, assembled a team of internal experts and external cooperation partners, including Fraunhofer IWES and ProPlanEn, to assess the historic wind potential across the German Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea. The study’s outcome has now been published by BSH within the scope of the site before the bid date on 1 August 2023. The data can be utilised by project developers, energy suppliers and banks in conjunction with the project financing of offshore wind farms.
“Leveraging our extensive expertise in offshore wind resource modelling, horizontal scanning lidar technology and data evaluation, our team of seasoned professionals collaborated effectively to overcome the project challenges and delivered the most robust solution for all stakeholders,” says Okan Sargin, global head of wind & site at OWC, who headed up the work.
The German Offshore Wind Energy Act (Windenergie-auf-See-Gesetz) for offshore wind energy has set an adjusted target of 30 GW by 2030 and 70 GW by 2045. This goal is to be achieved through tenders in accordance with the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz).
The BSH plays a central role in the tendering process as it draws up site development plans for the sites to be auctioned. Preliminary investigations are carried out for suitable sites and their results are published as part of the tenders. As part of the bid calculation, the bidder needs as detailed information as possible about the wind conditions in the target site to design a wind farm and create a yield forecast on this basis.
To support BSH, OWC has created the wind condition reports for target site N-6.7, as shown in the below figure.
The analysis was conducted via three work packages: The plausibility and consistency checks of the short-term (one year) measurement data, that was acquired in the framework of another project, were followed by corrections for the influence of neighbouring wind farms on the wind field and the establishment of a long-term relationship to the historic long-term data. Finally, a spatial analysis of the wind field was conducted, with a detailed reporting on statistical evaluation and description of the meteorological conditions.
“We are delighted to support the German federal government’s goal of achieving 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. I would like to express my appreciation to the project and BSH team for their dedication and collaboration throughout the project.“ adds Okan Sargin.
OWC is a leading independent engineering consultancy supporting the development and realisation of offshore wind projects, with a range of services, including project development services, owner’s engineering and technical due diligence.
Fraunhofer IWES ensures investments in technological developments in the field of wind energy and hydrogen technology through its validation services. By operating large test rigs, it accelerates the market introduction of innovative products, enhances certification processes and increases planning security by using state-of-the-art measurement techniques. Fraunhofer IWES employs around 250 scientists and administrative staff and more than 100 students at five sites: Bremerhaven, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg and Oldenburg. ProPlanEn is an independent wind energy consulting company that specialises in the field of wind data analysis, wind resource assessment, modelling of wind farm losses, wind farm planning and the development of processes and tools in this area.