Publications Details

A Comparison of Platform Options for Deep-water Floating Offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbines: An Initial Study

Bull, Diana L.; Fowler, Matthew; Goupee, Andrew

This analysis utilizes a 5 - MW VAWT topside design envelope created by Sandia National Laboratories to compare floating platform options for each turbine in the design space. The platform designs are based on two existing designs, the OC3 Hywind spar - buoy and Principal Power's WindFloat semi - submersible. These designs are scaled using Froude - scaling relationships to determine an appropriately sized spar - buoy and semi - submersible design for each topside. Both the physical size of the required platform as well as mooring configurations are considered. Results are compared with a comparable 5 - MW HAWT in order to identify potential differences in the platform and mooring sizing between the VAWT and HAWT. The study shows that there is potential for cost savings due to reduced platform size requirements for the VAWT.