Artificial Reef or Ecological Trap
of the turbines.”The researchers note the many gaps in current understanding and the need for more data.That opportunity for that may be coming. This week, Norway opened a bidding round for three floating wind areas, and California-based Aikido Technologies signed an agreement with Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) in Haugesund, Norway, to deploy one of the largest floating wind platforms deployed to date.The March issue of Marine Technology Reporter looks at how small and agile underwater robots can, among other functions, serve as non-invasive tools for assessing marine life around offshore
Portugal Ushers in Floating Wind Era
, Odfjell Ocean Wind, TGS, Vestervind Contractors, Global Maritime, ETERMAR, Principle Power, X1Wind, Gazelle Wind Power, Wergeland Group, Reach Subsea, Wedge, Spoor, SINTEF, APDL (Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo), Port of Setúbal and Sesimbra, the Norwegian Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre), plus Portuguese Test Site Companhia de Energia Oceânica.Addressing the conference WavEC CEO Marco Alves said offshore wind stands at the intersection of three critical priorities for Europe: decarbonizing our economies, ensuring energy independence, and strengthening energy
Floating Wind and the Taming of Subsea Spaghetti
component parts of the Subsea Collector comprise a 66kV wet mate connection system provided by Benestad and subsea switchgear with supervisory control and data acquisition by ABB.Birkemoe says the technology is undergoing final certification before its first planned installation at the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) 10 kilometers off the southwestern coast of Karmøy, Norway. Installation is planned to be carried out by Windstaller Alliance, an alliance between Aker Solutions, DeepOcean and Solstad Offshore.The system itself was developed following the proven success of similar technologies
Aker Solutions to Pilot Subsea Power Distribution System for Floating Wind
Aker Solutions has signed a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract with the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) in Norway to pilot new subsea power system technology which has the potential to reduce costs and complexity of offshore wind farms.The project will see Aker Solutions provide new power transmission technology, Subsea Collector, for the METCentre’s offshore wind test area which today consists of two floating offshore wind turbines, located 10km off the southwestern coast of Karmøy, Norway.The test area will expand to seven floating offshore wind turbines from 2026.
Tidal Testing Tool Put Through Paces at Wales’ National Marine Test Site, META
second to the next, we can use that information to design high performance and economic tidal turbines. This will reduce our dependence on oil and gas imports.”©Marine Energy WalesBoasting eight easy-to-access test sea sites in and around the Milford Haven waterway, Wales’ National Test Centre META was chosen for the trials because it offers the best opportunity to rigorously assess innovative technology at an early stage, Marine Energy Wales said.Tom Hill, META Project Delivery Manager said, "We already have all the necessary consents in place and were able to make all the introduction
Cable Connected: Bourbon Completes Installation of TetraSpar Floater in Norway
Test site in Norway, by laying and connecting the power cable earlier this week.The TetraSpar Demo project is being developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE.The TetraSpar floating wind foundation fitted with a 3.6MW wind turbine arrived at the Marine Energy Test Centre, near Stavanger, southeast Norway in July.According to Bourbon, following the completion of the power cable laying and connection, the floating wind turbine will be commissioned in the coming weeks. "Each new technology needs creativity and innovation to mitigate risks and deliver in
Shell, RWE Hire Akselos to Build Digital Model of TetraSpar Floating Wind Foundation
Technology, founded by Henrik Stiesdal, a Danish inventor and former Chief Technology Officer at Siemens Wind Power.The TetraSpar Demo project is developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE. The project will be installed 13km from the coast at the Marine Energy Test Centre, near Stavanger, southeast Norway.According to World Energy Reports, the floating wind installed capacity will reach between 8 to 10 GW by the end of this decade, and next decade WER expects to see more than 60GW of floating wind farms commissioned
'Vibro-Installed' Anchor Concept gets support from U. of Dundee
, launching in Portugal later this year.CorPower Ocean wave energy conversion buoy. Photo courtesy CorPowerThe €3.7m UMACK Project will also now benefit from the University’s world-leading experimental and physical testing facilities, developed as part of the Scottish Marine and Renewable Test Centre (SMART). UMACK Project Manager and CorPower Ocean Head of Projects Matt Dickson said that the partnership marked a ‘significant breakthrough’ adding greater resource and expertise in the field of geotechnical engineering and science to the UMACK project team.UMACK presents a step
Robotics: Autobots Transform in the Offshore Energy Sector
and thermal on the drone and fluorometer on the USV) to find and track oil spills.These are just a few examples. There are other organizations working in this space, such as the Offshore Robotics for the Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub, based in Edinburgh, and the more recent EU-funded Atlantis Test Centre for maritime robotics for offshore wind, in Portugal, which is focusing in inspection, maintenance and repair systems, and commercial enterprises doing their own work. Moving beyond visual sightA lot of what’s been done to date is about robots making decisions based on visual cues,
February 2025
