Inspenet, June 15, 2023
Japanese companies come together to develop a demonstration project for a floating axis offshore wind turbine.
The Japanese companies, Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER), Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO HD), Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Chubu Electric), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (LINE “K”), and Albatross Technology Inc. (Albatros), signed a joint research agreement for a demonstration project of a state-of-the-art offshore wind turbine (floating shaft).
The five partner companies in this demonstration project will jointly develop a small-scale (20kW) experimental next-generation floating-axis wind turbine, which is expected to reduce costs and increase the domestic production rate.
How does a floating axis offshore wind turbine work? We explore its ingenious design
The Floating Axis Wind Turbine (FAWT) is a concept under which a vertical axis wind turbine is supported by a “rotating” cylindrical floating base.
This type of wind turbine can be tilted 20 degrees at full power as it is designed to maintain efficiency even when tilted. This allows for a reduction in the size of the floating foundation and a significant reduction in equipment costs.
The wind turbine section can be manufactured at low cost through a continuous molding process used to form composite materials into long shapes, with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP).
Taking advantage of the characteristics to install vertical axis wind turbines at sea level due to their specific characteristics, operation and maintenance costs. Major appliances are also anticipated to be substantially lower.
The innovative wind turbine blades can be manufactured in longitudinal sections with the same process, eliminating the need for large-scale manufacturing facilities. In addition, this design makes it easy to transport the sections and is therefore suitable for home production.
Japanese companies have about 80% of the market share for carbon fiber, the raw material used in the carbon composite for the wind turbine.
J-POWER, Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering and Albatross will jointly conduct initial studies of the FAWT concept. The next step will be to embark on testing under a new framework. For the project, small-scale experimental versions of the FAWT will be installed in Japanese waters.
After confirming the validity of the analysis and design method, this will lead to an even larger scale (in megawatts) offshore demonstration project.
The five companies involved in the project will use their individual expertise to develop the FAWT, with the goal of making offshore wind power generation the primary source of electricity.
Source and Photos : Port Confluence
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