Verlume Clears Key Test for Offshore Wind Subsea Battery

Verlume has completed hyperbaric testing of the enclosure for its Orah subsea energy storage system, clearing a qualification milestone ahead of its planned deployment at the OranjeWind offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.

The testing was carried out at JFD's hyperbaric facility in Aberdeen and subjected the enclosure to a controlled pressure profile representative of its intended subsea operating environment.

The 10-tonne enclosure, measuring 7.2 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 2.4 meters high, was the largest vessel tested at JFD's hyperbaric center to date.

Testing covered pressure and depth qualification, enclosure integrity and functional performance under pressure. It demonstrated the enclosure's ability to withstand external loads associated with its intended operating depth and maintain its pressure boundary under representative subsea conditions.

Orah is a 500-kWh modular subsea energy storage system designed to provide autonomous grid support for offshore wind farms. The system uses Verlume's Axonn power management platform to manage power generation, storage and demand.

The complete Orah system will weigh 85 tonnes and is planned for deployment at the OranjeWind offshore wind farm being developed by RWE and TotalEnergies.

The deployment is expected to make Orah the world's first grid-forming subsea battery co-located with offshore wind, providing a real-world demonstration of subsea energy storage and autonomous grid support.

Verlume said the completion of the hyperbaric program moves the system closer to its planned Dutch North Sea deployment by demonstrating the enclosure's performance under representative subsea pressure conditions.