Open access review paper “Anchor geotechnics for floating offshore wind: Current technologies and future innovations”
The UK needs to install tens of thousands of anchors to secure floating offshore turbines by 2050 to achieve its net zero 2050 objective. The world needs to install even more. There is no one-fits-all concept of floating platform, mooring system, or anchor, contrary to the monopile oriented bottom-fixed turbines. Then, how do you choose one anchor type?
A review paper led by Dr Benjamin Cerfontaine “Anchor geotechnics for floating offshore wind: Current technologies and future innovations” which has been published open access as part of a special issue “State of Practice – Geotechnical Considerations for Offshore Wind” in the journal Ocean Engineering – helps to answer just this question.
The paper sets out the geotechnical challenges to meet the anchoring requirements for floating offshore wind targets and sets out a comparison of available and emerging anchor and advanced design methods to deal with complex ground or loading conditions. Potential improvements in the performance-cost response for each anchor type through future enhancements are then explored. These enhancements are categorised as (1) unlocking higher anchor performance through improved design methods with a better understanding of the geotechnical response, (2) upscaling or (3) commoditising of the anchor type, by making larger versions or enabling more efficient mass production and installation, or (4) invention of new anchor technologies.
Figure (right): Projected growth of offshore wind energy and implications for site survey and anchoring: the UK as a national example considering different scenarios of electricity demand.
To cite this paper:
Cerfontaine B., White D.J., Kwa K., Gourvenec S., Knappet J. & Brown M. (2023) Anchors for floating offshore wind: current technologies and future innovations, Ocean Engineering, Special Edition Ocean Engineering 279 (2023) 114327 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.114327