Parkwind has taken an innovative step by installing offshore charging stations for ships, designed to reduce gas emissions from maintenance vessels. This infrastructure breakthrough, powered by MJR Power & Automation‘s system, is critical to moving towards low-carbon waterborne transportation.
A successful green energy charge
The system is operational at the Nobelwind wind farm, which allows vessels to directly use locally generated power. The innovative technology, developed by British partner MJR and implemented by Parkwind, allows ships to connect to the charging cable and remain in place while charging, despite sea currents.
“We are committed to making all our activities as sustainable as possible. This system is a game changer for our maintenance vessels, which can now access green energy directly from our wind turbines as they go about their work. The test proved that the system can safely transfer electricity from a wind farm to the vessels without disrupting the farm.”
Kristof Verlinden, Parkwind’s chief operating and maintenance officer.
The automated coupling and decoupling process, together with load management, has been extensively tested and has proven to be successful. Nobelwind, located 47 km offshore in the Belgian North Sea, is Parkwind’s third offshore wind power project, with 50 turbines on 19.8 km² supplying some 190,000 households.
The MJR power system
This technology was transported from the dock to the marine substation by CTV and lifted in modules using the substation crane. It was assembled, connected and commissioned in less than 72 hours. The configuration was successfully tested, achieving a world first by safely transferring power to a CTV from an operational offshore wind farm. This process caused no disruption to the operation of the wind farm, no damage to the loading system, the deck, or the vessel.
MJR worked closely with Parkwind and was responsible for all electrical and mechanical interface engineering to install the system at the substation. Parkwind provided logistics, installation, testing support and electrical power interface.
On the other hand, the operational efficiency of the system is demonstrated in several aspects: 1) Hands-free connection and disconnection quickly and safely without manual manipulation, 2) Free floating, 3) efficient voltage control, catenary management and single-point mooring, and last but not least, 4) overload protection, automatic and manual emergency release, and safe transfer of power from the wind farm to the ship. .
“The success of the trial, funded by The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership and, under the support of the UK Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, is testament to the specialist marine engineering skills of MJR Power & Automation, its partners Blackfish Engineering Design and Tidal Transit, and the confidence of Parkwind. Other companies may imitate us, but MJR is the true pioneer and leader in ‘in the air’ offshore charging systems, with the proven ability to safely and efficiently deliver power from an operational offshore asset to a vessel.”
Paul Cairns, Managing Director of MJR.
The system is designed for charging CTVs up to 2 MW and SOVs up to 8 MW, and can supply power to other offshore to other offshore vessels in standby mode, reducing their diesel generator emissions to significant levels. It is the most cost-effective, convenient and reliable method of providing offshore power and charging because it requires no moorings, seabed clearance, dynamic subsea umbilical or sensitive equipment in the splash zone.
All the equipment is accessible for maintenance, without the need for specialized vessels. And because of this, MJR plans to integrate improvements, following lessons learned from testing, into the delivery of the first commercial offshore cargo system, scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
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Source and photo: Parkwind
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