Abstract
As onshore wind energy has depleted, the utilization of offshore wind energy has gradually played an important role in globally meeting growing green energy demands. However, the cost of energy (COE) for offshore wind energy is very high compared to the onshore one. To minimize the COE, implementing optimal design of offshore turbines is an effective way, but the relevant studies are lacking. This study proposes a method to minimize the COE of offshore wind turbines, in which two design parameters, including the rated wind speed and rotor radius are optimally designed. Through this study, the relation among the COE and the two design parameters is explored. To this end, based on the power-coefficient power curve model, the annual energy production (AEP) model is designed as a function of the rated wind speed and the Weibull distribution parameters. On the other hand, the detailed cost model of offshore turbines developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is formulated as a function of the rated wind speed and the rotor radius. Then, the COE is formulated as the ratio of the total cost and the AEP. Following that, an iterative method is proposed to search the minimal COE which corresponds to the optimal rated wind speed and rotor radius. Finally, the proposed method has been applied to the wind classes of USA, and some useful findings have been obtained.
Highlights
Renewable energy has been very attractive since the end of last century, as there have been ever-growing concerns over limited fossil-fuel resources, serious environmental regulations, and heavy energy demand
This paper has proposed a method to minimize the cost of energy (COE) of offshore wind turbines, through optimally designing the rated wind speed and the rotor radius
Both of the annual energy production (AEP) and the offshore turbine cost have been expressed as functions of the wind statistics
Summary
Renewable energy has been very attractive since the end of last century, as there have been ever-growing concerns over limited fossil-fuel resources, serious environmental regulations, and heavy energy demand. Among various types of renewable energy, wind energy is one of the most economical sources. The wind energy development has been rapidly developed in recent years. In 2017, the global cumulative installed wind turbine capacity has reached a new peak value of 539.58 GW [1]. There is a new trend for the development of wind energy, that is, the installation of wind turbines has gone from onshore sites to offshore sites [2]. Despite the rapid growth of wind energy utilization, the challenge still exists, especially for the offshore-site turbines. The high cost of energy (COE) for offshore wind power (compared to the onshore wind power and traditional sources) has hindered the utilization of offshore wind energy across the world
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