| Project Detail |
The U.S. has limited locations suitable for fixed offshore wind. As such, the U.S. will largely rely on floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) to reach offshore wind goals. While FOWT platforms can be installed in the U.S.’s deeper waters, current anchoring technologies limit where these systems can be cost-effectively installed. Drag embedment anchors and suction piles meet the strength requirements for FOWT, but are limited to locations that have many meters of softer soil or sediment built up on the seafloor. Similarly, most sites for marine hydrokinetic (MHK) devices are absent of sediment and have seabed conditions that necessitate large and expensive existing anchoring solutions.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
The Makai Ocean Engineering team will develop novel mooring and anchoring methods to reduce the costs of offshore renewable energy. Makai will enable grid-scale FOWT and MHK systems to be deployed in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible or too expensive with current mooring and anchoring technologies. At the center of this program is Makai’s Remote Anchoring and MicroPiling (RAMP) system, which can remotely install micropiles on the seafloor. The micropiles enable an anchorage strong enough to secure FOWT or MHK systems, negating the need for large drag embedment anchors, drilled piles, or huge gravity base anchors that all require large and costly equipment and vessels for installation. This system has the potential to dramatically reduce the initial installation costs and allow for wind farms and other offshore renewable energies to be deployed in locations that would otherwise not be feasible.
Potential Impact:
Subsea micropiles provide improved anchoring strength for FOWT and MHK at lower cost. |
