A leading offshore wind developer is calling for innovations in the realm of floating offshore wind that support biodiversity enhancement and help ensure that wind farms co-exist peacefully alongside other sea users.

RWE has launched its first global “Floating Wind Co-use Competition” with an eye to attract innovations that support its vision for biodiversity net positive offshore wind farms, and is hoping to gather innovations from start-ups, scale-ups, and research institutes by the submission deadline of Dec. 31, 2023.

Competition participants are invited to submit proposals for innovative solutions that promote biodiversity enhancement at floating offshore wind projects, alongside co-existence with other marine stakeholders such as fisheries.

Winners will be offered the opportunity to “explore the value of their innovation” with RWE’s in-house floating wind experts and to work with the utility’s global development teams, which work to advance floating wind projects in Europe, Asia, and America. While winners are also eligible for a monetary research grant to further advance their concepts.

“We see sustainability and biodiversity enhancement as integral parts during the development, construction and operation of our wind farms,” said Sven Utermohlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind in a press release today.

“We have installed the world’s first recyclable rotor blades, signed an agreement for ‘green’ fuel service operation vessels and we are looking into artificial reefs to enhance biodiversity – to name only a few examples. Now, we want to further promote new technology and new ideas for floating offshore wind, which especially supporting our strategy to build biodiversity net positive offshore wind farms in future,” he added.

LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

RWE’s competition is also open to individuals and organisations with ideas around minimising the environmental impact of floating wind turbines and an understanding of how to work towards a net-positive environmental impact for the floating wind industry.

Submissions should seek to provide positive opportunities both for local marine stakeholders, while also protecting the local marine ecosystem, the release says.

A FLOATING FUTURE

RWE is active in two floating wind demonstration projects in Spain and Norway, in addition to having secured a commercial-scale floating wind lease off the Californian coast.

The advent of floating wind widens the opportunity for offshore wind by making it possible to install floating turbines in deeper waters than would otherwise be possible with the more advanced technology of bottom-fixed turbines, such as in deep waters off the coast of Japan and California.

RWE has also submitted a bid for the Brittany South floating wind auction, has pre-qualified to participate in the Mediterranean auction in France, and is preparing to participate in the Utsira Nord floating wind tender in Norway and in the Celtic Sea auction in the UK.

GROWING GREEN INTEREST

RWE’s interest in supporting biodiversity in and around floating offshore wind projects adds to the work already being carried out by Orsted and UK-based marine consultants Bluedot Associates to develop a biodiversity framework to apply to the planned offshore floating wind power leasing round that the UK is planning in the Celtic Sea.

The UK is planning to develop up to 5 GW of floating wind power capacity by 2030, with up to 4 GW of that potentially coming from the Celtic Sea off the UK’s southwest coast.

The Crown Estate, which owns much of the UK seabed, is planning a leasing tender for commercial projects running up to 1 GW each, and among its criteria for the tender is that proponents must make sure to balance the needs of the environment, other users of the sea, and onshore communities.

Danish renewable energy firm Orsted has pledged that all new renewable energy projects it commissions from 2030, at the latest, must deliver a net-positive biodiversity impact, which would include any project that it wins in the UK tender.

By Bryony Collins – bryony@carbon-pulse.com

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