Nevesbu HVDC Substation concept model tests at MARIN

AuthorsHeerink, R.

Conference/JournalMARIN Report 139

Date29 Mar 2024

According to expectations, 1,800 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy will be generated by 2050 worldwide, of which 250 GW will be produced by floating wind farms.

Suitable regions to generate floating offshore wind can be found in California and South East Asia, but also in Europe, where the main focus is on the Mediterranean, the North Sea, Bay of Biscay, Baltic Sea and the Aegean Sea. All of these areas have deep water and have suitable wind conditions for generating sustainable energy.

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Robert Heerink

Senior Project Manager

To efficiently transport 250 GW of renewable energy from sea to shore, offshore substations are required. These substations collect the wind energy (AC) from the farm, convert the electricity to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) or high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) and transport this through two or four export cables to shore. By doing so, the power losses during transport from the substation to shore are significantly reduced. These substations are already widely used in shallow waters, where the station is supported by a jacket or other bottom-founded solutions. Each substation is typically connected to 100 to 150 wind turbines, generating between 1.0 and 2.0 GW of power.

Testing Nevesbu’s TLP substation

In 2023, MARIN awarded Nevesbu a free SME basin slot to test its HVDC substation concept. For MARIN it was quite unique to test a deepwater TLP in less than half of the usual basin time and at a fraction of the cost than is typical for such a project. Due to the size of the TLP we were able to test at a smaller scale of 1:100, which also enabled full geometrical scaling of the tendons (350 m water depth). This is important for the proper motion behaviour and set down of the TLP in waves.

Render of TLP concept including deep water cable guide system