SeaTwirl targets vertical-axis floating offshore wind in Japan with Sumitomo
SeaTwirl targets vertical-axis floating offshore wind in Japan with Sumitomo | Windpower Monthly
SeaTwirl, the Swedish company behind a floating vertical-axis wind turbine concept, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japanese power company Sumitomo Corporation Power and Mobility (SCPM).
The MoU will see both firms look to develop the SeaTwirl concept for the Japanese floating offshore wind market as the country aims to install 10GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 30-45GW by 2040.
SCPM will identify potential clients and also lead on marketing, negotiations and contracting. Meanwhile, SeaTwirl will promote and offer its products and services in Japan.
The Swedish company last year received clearance to install a 1MW prototype of its unique vertical axis floating wind turbine at Norway’s Marine Energy Test Centre (MetCentre) off Bokn, on the country’s west coast.
“With [SCPM]’s deep local presence, solid history, diversified business operations and deep industrial knowledge we are confident we can offer the market something unique and attractive,” said Peter Laurits, head of global business development at SeaTwirl.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.