APPLYING TELECOMS LESSONS LEARNED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER MARKETS BY ANDY LLOYD
T
he phenomenal growth of offshore wind and renewable energy during the past decade has led to increased subsea power cable installation. In Europe and the UK alone, more than 75 operational offshore wind farms are linked to national grids. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be approximately another 20,000km of power cable installed in Northern European waters, with the expectation of between 10 and 40
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large-scale cable repair projects in the North Sea per year.[1][2] As the industry expands, wind farms move further offshore. Building and maintaining these farms requires support vessels able to transfer crew, technicians and cargo in ever more challenging conditions, including greater wave heights. Transfers in high wave heights at the most remote wind farms can be problematic for all on-board, requir-
ing a purpose-built CTV (crew transfer vessel). The solution for tasks of this nature arrives in the form of SWATH (small water plane area twin hull) CTVs, which employ manual motion stabilisation control systems. These systems utilise control fins that have multi-axis capability, providing pitch, roll and heave motion. SWATH CTVs can comfortably maintain service speeds, helping to reduce crew fa-