Abstract
Like all renewable energy projects, floating offshore wind (FOW) requires operation and maintenance (O&M) strategies that are tailored to the technology’s characteristics. Due to the nature of floating wind farms, the maintenance strategy is complex and challenging but it also brings about opportunity to optimize the business case.
Floating wind farms are going to be located further away from the shore, and the logistics and workability aspects will bring about extensive and prolonged maintenance challenges. From a technical standpoint, risks and their associated mitigation plans must be considered. From an economic standpoint, the cost of operation as well as the cost of lost revenue from time without electricity generation of the floating system(s) will influence the chosen maintenance strategy.
Furthermore, dimensions of wind turbines are growing which means major components (MC) are going to be heavier and positioned at greater heights. Nowadays, wind farm installation vessels are used to install bottom-fixed structures and are based on jack-up technologies. Because floating wind farms are located in deeper waters, it will often not be possible to use the jack-up principle at the floating wind farm location.