General – Offshore Charging Station
A collaboration of UK green technology pioneers has been awarded GBP 1.5 million in funding to install ‘the world’s first offshore charging station within a UK wind farm’.
Project leaders Oasis Marine have partnered with Turbo Power Systems, Verlume, and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to deliver the Offshore Charging Station solution.
This smart energy and charging infrastructure could enable fully electric maritime operations within offshore wind farms.
A major barrier for the decarbonisation of the maritime sector is the range and duration at which electric and hybrid vessels can operate, said Oasis Marine.
Currently, vessels can only be charged within ports and most wind farms are too far from shore to allow journeys to be fully completed on battery power. Enabling offshore charging from a zero-emission energy source will allow CTVs to operate on electric power for the majority of the time, extending the operational range and significantly reducing emissions, according to the project leader.
During the two-year project, offshore charging infrastructure will be developed for charging hybrid and electric crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and will be demonstrated over two phases.
The first is said to prove the transfer of power utilising Verlume’s battery and intelligent energy management technology, to charge a vessel via the Oasis Power Buoy while at sea. During the second phase, the project will work with Vattenfall regarding technical and regulatory developments, aiming to lead to an on-turbine demonstration at their European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) within Aberdeen Bay.
