Impact of Spanish Offshore Wind Generation in the Iberian Electricity Market: Potential Savings and Policy Implications

The European Union considers that offshore wind power will play a key role in making the EU the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Currently, the potential of offshore wind energy is still untapped in Spain. Furthermore, the characteristics of the coastline in Spain require floating technology, making it challenging to install wind farms due to their current high cost. This work seeks to quantify the impact that Spanish offshore wind energy would have on the Iberian electricity market. Several offshore wind scenarios are evaluated by combining available information in relation to areas suitable for installing wind farms and wind resource data. The impact on the day-ahead electricity market has been obtained by reproducing the market, including these new offshore wind generation scenarios. The introduction of this renewable energy results in a market cost reduction in what is known as the merit-order effect. According to our estimates, for each MWh of offshore wind energy introduced in the market, there would be a market cost reduction of 45 €. These savings can serve as a reference for regulators to adjust their policy framework to boost floating wind offshore generation.

Download Full-text

Effect of Climate Variability Events over the Colombian Caribbean Offshore Wind Resource

Water ◽

10.3390/w13223150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (22) ◽

pp. 3150

Author(s):

Martha Bastidas-Salamanca ◽

Juan Gabriel Rueda-Bayona

Keyword(s):

Climate Variability ◽

Wind Energy ◽

El Niño ◽

El Nino ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

The Caribbean ◽

The Impact

The need for reducing the CO2 emissions and fossil fuel dependence of several countries generated a growing interest for the Renewables. The Caribbean Sea is characterized by persistent and high magnitude winds, which suggest an important source of offshore wind energy. Recent studies reported that the Colombian Caribbean has a relevant opportunity for developing the offshore wind technology which could complement the energy production when the hydroelectric system is under low generation due to persistent dry conditions generated by El Niño events. The offshore wind energy may complement the energy offer of Colombia. Hence, understanding the impact of climate variability events in the Caribbean over the wind magnitude, contributes to the knowledge of the resource availability for a better planning of future offshore wind farms. In this sense, this study analyzed 39 years of Reanalysis wind data through a time series analysis of the Caribbean to identify the lowest wind speed velocities and when and why they occurred. The results showed that winds of the study area represented by the Caribbean Low level, showed the lowest wind speeds in the short, mid, and long term due to the influence of the seasons, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).

Download Full-text

Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment across the Territory of Oman: A Spatial-Temporal Data Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052862 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2862

Author(s):

Amer Al-Hinai ◽

Yassine Charabi ◽

Seyed H. Aghay Kaboli

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Wind Energy ◽

Wind Turbines ◽

Energy Resource ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Wind Data ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Offshore Wind Turbines ◽

Wind Potential

Despite the long shoreline of Oman, the wind energy industry is still confined to onshore due to the lack of knowledge about offshore wind potential. A spatial-temporal wind data analysis is performed in this research to find the locations in Oman’s territorial seas with the highest potential for offshore wind energy. Thus, wind data are statistically analyzed for assessing wind characteristics. Statistical analysis of wind data include the wind power density, and Weibull scale and shape factors. In addition, there is an estimation of the possible energy production and capacity factor by three commercial offshore wind turbines suitable for 80 up to a 110 m hub height. The findings show that offshore wind turbines can produce at least 1.34 times more energy than land-based and nearshore wind turbines. Additionally, offshore wind turbines generate more power in the Omani peak electricity demand during the summer. Thus, offshore wind turbines have great advantages over land-based wind turbines in Oman. Overall, this work provides guidance on the deployment and production of offshore wind energy in Oman. A thorough study using bankable wind data along with various logistical considerations would still be required to turn offshore wind potential into real wind farms in Oman.

Download Full-text

Main Trends and Criteria Adopted in Economic Feasibility Studies of Offshore Wind Energy: A Systematic Literature Review

Energies ◽

10.3390/en15010012 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 12

Author(s):

Arthur Leandro Guerra Pires ◽

Paulo Rotella Junior ◽

Sandra Naomi Morioka ◽

Luiz Célio Souza Rocha ◽

Ivan Bolis

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Literature Review ◽

Wind Energy ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Net Present Value ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Feasibility Studies ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Energy

Offshore wind energy has been identified as one of the most promising and increasingly attractive sources of energy. This technology offers a long-term power-generation source, less environmental impact, and fewer physical restrictions. However, given the complexity of this technology, economic feasibility studies are essential. Thus, this study aims to identify the main trends and criteria or the methods used in the economic feasibility studies of offshore wind energy, providing a review of the state of the art in this literature. For this, a Systematic Literature Review was carried out. The article shows the growing interest in offshore wind power generation and highlights how recently the interest in the studies that assess the technical–economic feasibility of this source has grown; it presents the main milestones of the topic. Based on a structured literature review, this article identifies the main trends in this topic: (i) wind farms, (ii) risk, (iii) floating offshore wind farms, (iv) decommissioning and repowering, (v) net present value, (vi) life cycle cost, and (vii) multi-criteria decision-making; it provides a broad view of the methodological possibilities and specificities for investors and researchers interested in conducting studies on the economic feasibility of offshore wind generation. In addition, finally, a research agenda is proposed.

Download Full-text

Exploitation of the far-offshore wind energy resource by fleets of energy ships – Part 2: Updated ship design and cost of energy estimate

10.5194/wes-2021-39 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aurélien Babarit ◽

Félix Gorintin ◽

Pierrick de Belizal ◽

Antoine Neau ◽

Giovanni Bordogna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wind Energy ◽

Energy Resource ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Ship Design ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Ocean Engineering ◽

Offshore Wind Farms

Abstract. This paper deals with a new concept for the conversion of far-offshore wind energy into sustainable fuel. It relies on autonomous sailing energy ships and manned support tankers. Energy ships are wind-propelled ships that generate electricity using water turbines attached underneath their hull. Since energy ships are not grid-connected, they include onboard power-to-X plants for storage of the produced energy. In the present work, the energy vector X is methanol. In the first part of this study (Babarit et al., 2020), an energy ship design has been proposed and its energy performance has been assessed. In this second part, the aim is to estimate the energy and economic performance of such system. In collaboration with ocean engineering, marine renewable energy and wind-assisted propulsion’s experts, the energy ship design of the first part has been revised and updated. Based on this new design, a complete FARWIND energy system is proposed, and its costs (CAPEX and OPEX) are estimated. Results of the models show (i) that this FARWIND system could produce approximately 70,000 tonnes of methanol per annum (approximately 400 GWh per annum of chemical energy) at a cost in the range 1.2 to 3.6 €/kg, (ii) that this cost may be comparable to that of methanol produced by offshore wind farms in the long term, and (iii) that FARWIND-produced methanol (and offshore wind farms-produced methanol) could compete with gasoline on the EU transportation fuel market in the long term.

Download Full-text

Offshore Wind Energy: Good Practice in Impact Assessment, Mitigation and Compensation

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management ◽

10.1142/s1464333217500053 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (01) ◽

pp. 1750005 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jens Lüdeke

Keyword(s):

Wind Energy ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Good Practice ◽

Bird Species ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Published Data ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Offshore Wind Farms

Aiming towards good practice in the planning and approval of offshore wind farms suggestions are provided for the amendment of environmental impact assessment (EIA), an effective marine spatial planning and the establishment of marine compensation measure. The investigation is focused on the situation in Germany as a frontrunner in ecological research on offshore wind energy. After 10 years of research in Germany, it is timely to offer a synopsis of the results especially regarding the successful investigations of mitigation measures. The results are based on published data collected in Germany over the last 10 years, as well as international research. The outcomes of the research were validated by interviewing experts using the Delphi method. Key findings for good practice in impact assessment, mitigation and compensation: 1. EIAs should focus on decision-relevant subjects of protection (i.e. specific bird species and harbour porpoises). 2. There is a strong necessity for thresholds for the approval process. 3. Exclusion of OWFs in hotspots of sensitive species. 4. Application of state-of-the-art mitigation measures particularly against underwater noise to avoid damages of the hearing of porpoises. 5. The introduction of marine compensation measures is strongly suggested.

Download Full-text

Exploitation of the far-offshore wind energy resource by fleets of energy ships – Part 2: Updated ship design and cost of energy estimate

Wind Energy Science ◽

10.5194/wes-6-1191-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 1191-1204

Author(s):

Aurélien Babarit ◽

Félix Gorintin ◽

Pierrick de Belizal ◽

Antoine Neau ◽

Giovanni Bordogna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wind Energy ◽

Energy Resource ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Ship Design ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Ocean Engineering ◽

Offshore Wind Farms

Abstract. This paper deals with a new concept for the conversion of far-offshore wind energy into sustainable fuel. It relies on autonomous sailing energy ships and manned support tankers. Energy ships are wind-propelled ships that generate electricity using water turbines attached underneath their hull. Since energy ships are not grid-connected, they include onboard power-to-X plants for storage of the produced energy. In the present work, the energy vector X is methanol. In the first part of this study, an energy ship design was proposed, and its energy performance was assessed. In this second part, the aim is to update the energy and economic performance of such a system based on design progression. In collaboration with ocean engineering, marine renewable energy and wind-assisted propulsion experts, the energy ship design of the first part has been revised. Based on this new design, a complete FARWIND energy system is proposed, and its costs (CAPEX and OPEX) are estimated. Results of the models show (i) that this FARWIND system could produce approximately 70 000 t of methanol per annum (approximately 400 GWh per annum of chemical energy) at a cost in the range EUR 1.2 to 3.6/kg, (ii) that this cost may be comparable to that of methanol produced by offshore wind farms in the long term and (iii) that FARWIND-produced methanol (and methanol produced by offshore wind farms) could compete with gasoline on the EU transportation fuel market in the long term.

Download Full-text

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Projects in Denmark. A Comparative Study With Onshore Projects Based on Regulatory Real Options

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.4030656 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José Balibrea Iniesta ◽

Manuel Monjas Barroso

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Wind Energy ◽

Comparative Study ◽

Real Options ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Wind Generation ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Renewable Generation ◽

Energy Projects

There is a gap in the literature on the assessment of renewable energy projects regarding the role of regulatory real options (RROs) that do not depend entirely on the project promoter and yet affect the value of the project. This paper provides a methodology for evaluating investments in offshore wind generation in Denmark, based on the use of this type of options. The main results show that these RROs held by the administration, decrease the value of these renewable generation projects in Denmark. This confirms previous research for onshore generation in the same country.

Download Full-text

Estimating offshore wind power potentials that account for the kinetic energy removal by wind turbines: the Kinetic Energy Budget of the Atmosphere (KEBA) approach

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-4988 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Axel Kleidon ◽

Lee Miller

Keyword(s):

Kinetic Energy ◽

Wind Energy ◽

Wind Power ◽

Energy Budget ◽

Wind Turbines ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Offshore Wind Power ◽

Wind Speeds

Offshore wind power is seen as a large renewable energy resource due to the high and continuous wind speeds over the ocean.However, as wind farms expand in scale, wind turbines increasingly remove kinetic energy from the atmospheric flow, reducing wind speeds and expected electricity yields.Here we show that this removal effect of large wind farms and the drop in yields can be estimated in a relatively simple way by considering the kinetic energy budget of the lower atmosphere, which we refer to as the KEBA approach.We first show that KEBA can reproduce the estimated, climatological yields of wind farms of different sizes and locations using previously published numerical model simulations with an explicit wind farm representation.&#160; We then show the relevance of these reductions by evaluating the contribution of offshore wind energy in specific scenarios of Germany&#8217;s energy transition in the year 2050.Our estimates suggest that due to reduced wind speeds, mean capacity factors of wind farms are reduced to 33 - 39%, which is notably less than capacity factors above 50% that are commonly assumed in energy scenarios.This reduction is explained by KEBA by the depletion of the horizontal flow of kinetic energy by the wind farms and the low vertical renewal rate, which limits large-scale wind energy potentials to less than 1 W m-2 of surface area.We conclude that wind speed reductions are likely to play a substantial role in the further expansion of offshore wind energy and need to be considered in the planning process.These reduced yields can be estimated by a comparatively simple approach based on budgeting the kinetic energy of the atmosphere surrounding the wind farms.

Download Full-text

Offshore Wind Farms

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse8020120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 120

Author(s):

María Dolores Esteban ◽

José-Santos López-Gutiérrez ◽

Vicente Negro

Keyword(s):

Wind Energy ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Editorial Team ◽

Marine Science ◽

Offshore Wind Energy ◽

Special Issue ◽

Science And Engineering ◽

Offshore Wind Farms

In 2018, we were approached by the editorial team of the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (MDPI editorial) to act as guest editors of a Special Issue related to offshore wind energy [...]

Download Full-text