DNV GL continues drive for risk and cost reduction in global wind industry via three new joint industry initiatives

DNV GL, a leading global energy advisory, testing and certification authority, today announced three Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) which are aimed at developing recommended practices for the global wind industry to further develop industrial accepted design practices and methods, lower risks and reduce costs.

1. JIP: “Coupled dynamic analysis of floating wind turbines”
Floating wind provides an opportunity to globalize offshore wind as a technology in a wide range of international markets. A key technical barrier to making this vision a reality is the ability to carry out a sufficiently accurate fully dynamic analysis, which requires integration of several engineering disciplines. At this moment there’s no guideline on how to run such analysis, how to validate the numeral design model, and which complexity level is needed for the different project stages. The aim of this JIP is to gain a deeper understanding of the coupled dynamic analysis of floating wind turbines and develop recommendations to effectively guide designers and engineers. The project is scheduled to start in the second half of 2015, with final review and publication of recommended practices in the first half of 2017. A total of 8-12 participating companies are anticipated.

2. JIP: “Validation of turbulence models”
DNV GL sees large variations in the predicted loads for wind turbines and wind farms experienced throughout their operational life due to variations in wind speed (turbulence). Even though some parameters relating to turbulence are standardized, a number of different methods can be applied, leading to differences of up to 20-30% on the final prediction of loads. The aim of this JIP is to gain a deeper understanding of which turbulence methods should be used under which circumstances. Specific recommendations shall be published to guide the industry through the load validation and site assessment process, which relies on accurate turbulence models. The project is scheduled to start in the second half of 2015, with final review and publication of recommended practices in the first quarter of 2017. A total of 15-20 participating companies are anticipated.

3. JIP: “Integrated approach to design, installation and maintenance of heavy duty bolted joints”
Bolted joints are often the weak link in the design of wind turbine structures and in some cases their strength may even limit the design options for the components they join together. Significant cost and material savings could be achieved through optimizing structural bolted joints by employing more ambitious design philosophies than traditional approaches. The aim of this JIP is to enable wind turbine designers to further optimize the structural bolted joints and thus the dimensions and weights of the joined parts, while lowering the risk of damage in the field. It will also enable wind farm operators to reduce costs related to inspection, corrosion protection and retightening of bolted joints which make up a major part of the operating expenses, especially offshore. The project is scheduled to start in autumn 2015 and is planned to run until the end of 2016. A total of 6-10 participating companies are anticipated.

Kim Mørk, DNV GL’s Executive Vice President, Renewables Certification, says: “With the Joint Industry Projects announced today we continue to deliver on our offshore wind cost reduction manifesto pledges of 2014 - helping to help do offshore wind right, differently and better. DNV GL has a long tradition of innovation and invests 5% of its revenue each year in codes and standards and long term cutting-edge projects. As a part of this, we initiate Joint Industry Projects where we team up with key external stakeholders to develop technical solutions for the industry. JIPs are partly financed by the participants and are a vehicle to drive the business forward meeting expressed needs. Key to our success with the JIP concept is that we publish the technical outcome through industry standards and recommended practices.”

Last year DNV GL launched its vision for the future of offshore wind in a cost reduction manifesto, including a commitment to work collaboratively with industry to help reduce offshore wind costs by up to 40% and thus secure a sustainable future for this sector.

At a time of great change and innovation for the European wind industry, stakeholders are meeting at EWEA OFFSHORE 2015, the world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition, to determine solutions that will help address the challenges and enable the industry to meet its potential. DNV GL will be participating at EWEA OFFSHORE 2015 in Copenhagen between the 10th-12th March 2015 (stand C1-B37).