The bottom-fixed offshore wind turbine installation includes a support column 10 landed on the seabed 40 in an upright orientation, resting on or slightly self-embedded into the seabed (e.g. a gravity based or suction caisson based monopile like structure, installed without hammering or deep embedding). The column has buoyancy above its centre of gravity (36) and ballast below its centre of buoyancy (38). Inclined tensioned tethers 42 extend upwardly from the seabed at anchors 44 (e.g. piles) to the column. A wind turbine is supported atop the tethered column. A method and installed system is claimed. The column is towed horizontally, uprighted and held buoyantly above the seabed before being ballasted, landed, optionally further ballasted and then tethered before assembling the turbine on top. Buoyancy and/or ballasting of the column and tensioning of the tethers can be adjusted to control interaction with the seabed soil e.g. by using water ballast 30 and/or solid ballast 30A in a single or multiple ballast tanks 34 within the column. Buoyancy and ballasting cooperate similarly to a spar buoy to prevent the installation capsizing in the event of mooring failure.
Support structures for offshore wind turbines
2024-02-07
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
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