Wind Energy – Floating Wind
Today Fred. Olsen 1848 has launched the Floating Foundation Brunel.
Brunel is a semi-submersible structure, designed for harsh north-sea conditions, with a modular design based on steel tubulars, as known from monopiles and wind towers.
The modular design enables Brunel to leverage the existing global supply chain and helps create a sustainable industry. A final tank test successfully was completed at SINTEF Ocean in February 2022. In parallel, Brunel received DNV’s statement of feasibility in April 2022. With the tank test and DNV statement of feasibility, Brunel has reached Technological Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4).
The design of BRUNEL is based on a simple, yet challenging design philosophy: to see if Fred Olsen 1848 can build a foundation based on generic steel tubulars and hence enable manufacturing at commercial scale. This radical focus on commercial requirements, while at the same time attending to excellence on all technical parameters, will allow the floating offshore wind industry to realize its enormous potential.
“Brunel is designed for the next generation of wind turbines. With its low LCOE and ability for serial and mass production, we believe the Brunel to be a game-changer that can unlock the potential of floating offshore wind,” says Sofie Olsen Jebsen, CEO, Fred. Olsen 1848.
