JIP RUNWAVE: Enhancing foundations for offshore wind turbines
Constructing large-scale offshore wind farms is essential to accelerate the global energy transition. Europe has set an ambitious goal to achieve over 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050, with the Netherlands aiming for 70 GW within the same timeframe. To meet these goals, offshore wind turbines must withstand extreme weather conditions and heavy wave loads, especially in challenging locations such as deeper waters.
Deltares works with partners from the offshore wind industry on the Joint Industry Project (JIP) RUNWAVE. This project contributes to safer and more optimised turbine foundation designs, reduces costs, and accelerates the deployment of offshore wind farms.
JIP RUNWAVE is a collaborative initiative aimed at significantly reducing uncertainties in the designs of offshore wind turbines. The offshore wind industry faces increasing challenges, such as designing safe, cost-efficient turbines for complex environments with variable wave loads.
The Joint Industry Project (JIP) RUNWAVE addresses these challenges by uniting knowledge institutions and industry stakeholders, stimulating them to develop innovative design models and tools. By minimising uncertainties and risks in the design process, the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) for offshore wind can be substantially reduced. Lower costs will drive faster and more sustainable offshore wind developments, advancing the energy transition.
Objectives
The primary goal of JIP RUNWAVE is to develop a probabilistic model that minimises uncertainties in offshore wind turbine designs. Additionally, the project seeks to improve understanding of the dynamic impacts of wave-induced hydraulic forces on offshore wind turbines, particularly in deeper waters.
Challenges
Unaddressed uncertainties can lead to significant risks, such as increased development costs due to conservative design choices that result in over- dimensioning. Furthermore, failure to identify risks, such as unexpected wave loads, early on can have severe consequences during a wind farm’s operational lifespan (20-25 years). For wind farm developers, a thorough understanding of the interaction between structures and their environment is crucial to optimising designs and ensuring cost-efficiency.
What will RUNWAVE accomplish?
We expect the following outcomes at the end of the project:
- Reduced uncertainties in turbine designs related to wave loads, supported by new insights into the impact of waves on foundations.
- Optimised wind turbines through more reliable and cost-efficient designs.
- Improved structural integrity of offshore wind turbines, especially for monopiles in deeper waters. This entails stronger, more stable foundations that can better withstand loads from wind and waves.
- Development of probabilistic model concepts that enable designers to better assess risks and optimise designs.
- Opportunities for developers to adapt to new trends, such as larger monopiles and installations in deeper waters, maintaining their competitive edge.
The outcomes of JIP RUNWAVE will be directly applicable in the offshore wind industry. They will offer significant benefits to developers, investors, and EPCI contractors by reducing operational risks and enhancing long-term project performance. Optimising material usage and installation processes can also lower costs, contributing to sustainable and successful projects.
These advancements will accelerate the deployment of offshore wind farms, resulting in lower energy generation costs (LCoE). This, in turn, speeds up the energy transition and reduces reliance on fossil fuels.
Collaboration with Experts
The project is a collaboration with a range of organisations, including Deltares, MARIN, Vattenfall, Siemens Gamesa, Van Oord, and Jörss-Blunck-Ordemann (JBO). While the project is already underway, the consortium remains open to new partners. By involving sector experts, the research findings are directly applicable in practice, ensuring ongoing improvements in design optimizations.
The project will take two years, with interim results shared with partners for immediate application in their projects.
