Siemens Gamesa to lead an EU-funded project to cut offshore wind costs

The project will receive around €20 million (£18m) in support over its five-year duration

Alongside Aalborg University, Siemens Gamesa will lead an EU-funded research and development project to make offshore wind more affordable.

The Integrated Implementation of Industrial Innovations for Offshore Wind Cost Reduction (i4Offshore) project will receive around €20 million (£18m) in support over its five-year duration.

It aims to make renewable electricity more affordable and more sustainable, compared to fossil fuel sources such as oil or coal or other renewable energy sources such as solar or hydropower.

The 15 project partners and companies involved plan to demonstrate and test new offshore wind power technologies with the ultimate goal of reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCoE) from offshore wind.

Technologies scheduled tested to include a 1,000-ton bucket foundation, steel jackets, concrete transition pieces and new cable connections.

Lars Bo Ibsen, Professor at Aalborg University, said: “One of the challenges of offshore wind energy is that the high cost of building offshore wind turbines has necessitated various governmental subsidies to improve the business case.

“While all forms of industrial power generation receive governmental support, whether from renewable, fossil or other sources, our project aims at making offshore wind energy even more cost-effective without external financial support.”

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