Lessons from stakeholder dialogues on marine aquaculture in offshore wind farms: Perceived potentials,constraints and research gaps

Drawing on a case study in Germany, this contribution explores the practical application of offshore aquaculture within offshore wind farms in view of the different stakeholders involved. Using a transdisciplinary research approach, an understanding of the rationalities and interests among the different involved stakeholder groups was explored. Offshore wind energy is high on the political agenda in Germany. The vast spatial requirements however inherit potential user conflicts with competing, and under current legislation excluded users such as fishermen. Solutions for combining sustainable uses of the same ocean space have thus seen increasing interest within the research community in Germany and in Europe over the past years. This paper was inspired by and presents the outcomes of a stakeholder analysis and in particular a stakeholder workshop. Central focus was placed on academics and private as well as public stakeholders engaged in current research efforts of combining offshore wind farms and aquaculture in the German North Sea. The paper identifies the overall acceptance of such a multi-use scenario in society, opportunities and constraints as perceived by the stakeholders, and key research gaps. The results confirm the assumption that there is a clear need, and also willingness on behalf of the policy makers and the research community, to find sustainable, resource- and space-efficient solutions for combined ocean use.     

Business case for mussel aquaculture in offshore wind farms in the North Sea

The European Blue Growth strategy aims to expand the new maritime sectors of aquaculture, energy, biotechnology, coastal tourism and mineral mining. Growth of these sectors will increases pressure on the seas, particularly on those areas that are densely used by traditional sectors such as fisheries and transport. This has triggered interest in developing multiuse of space and multiuse platforms at sea. This paper assesses the feasibility of offshore mussel production project in wind farms by design and ex-ante evaluation of a mussel aquaculture system in the North Sea. A system for mussel cultivation in the Dutch Borssele offshore wind farm was designed, producing both mussel seed and consumption-sized mussels with semi-submerged longlines. Based on the economic model and the risk assessment, this paper concludes that mussel aquaculture is an appealing commercial model for increased returns in offshore wind farms. The economic models shows that the internal rate of return and net present value are positive and based on the sensitivity analysis, it can be concluded that these results are robust.     

近海海上风电场水下噪声传播模型适用性研究

通过现场采集近海海上风电场工程区运营期风机水下噪声和背景噪声数据,计算了噪声信号的倍频带声压级,功率谱级和峰值声压级,确定了海上风电场水下噪声总声源级为148.3 d B,以此开展近海海上风电工程风机水下噪声频域特性、功率密度谱特性等研究。在此基础上使用Kraken简正波模型和Bellhop射线模型对风电场运营期风机水下噪声在水平与垂直方向上的传播进行模拟,模拟了噪声在不同频带内的衰减程度,结果显示模型模拟结果在不同频率下的衰减趋势有着很大差异,产生了明显的多途干涉现象,通过实测数据对建立的噪声传播模型进行验证,发现Kraken简正波模型在500 Hz以下,Bellhop射线模型在500 Hz以上适合模拟实际水下噪声传播情形,同时海区本身背景噪声的存在会对预测的准确性产生影响。这些结论可用于进一步对近海海上风电场水下噪声传播的研究。     

Recreational use of offshore wind farms: Experiences and opinions of sea anglers in the UK

The expansion of offshore wind farms (OWFs) is likely to increase conflict with other marine users as different sectors compete for space. There may also be positive interactions, as the artificial reef effects from energy infrastructure have the potential to sustain and enhance fishing opportunities. Recreational sea angling is an important sector within the UK but the experiences and opinions of UK sea anglers with respect to OWFs have not been documented. To address this, an online survey was undertaken with recreational anglers around the UK (n=199). Respondents represented a range of socio-demographic and angling characteristics, although male, more frequent and older fishers as well as club members were over-represented compared to a 2012 national survey. One quarter of the respondents had fished around the perimeter of or within an OWF, most on multiple occasions, and 73% of those who had not expressed a willingness to do so in future. Anglers reported both positive and negative effects on catch success when fishing near or within OWFs compared to their experiences of the same site prior to OWF development. Outcomes for individual species were also mixed. Anglers recognised the potential artificial reef effects of OWFs and their role as a “safe haven”, particularly due to the exclusion of commercial fishers. Negative perceptions included restricted access, harm to marine wildlife, and visual impact. There is little evidence that OWFs will have a significant economic impact on recreational fishing, as most anglers are unlikely to change their behaviour in response to future developments.     

Investigation of the load-bearing capacity of suction caissons used for offshore wind turbines

This paper presents the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses of the suction bucket foundation used for offshore wind turbines. The behavior of the bucket and the response of soil supporting the bucket in dense and medium dense sandy soils subjected to static horizontal load are investigated. Field tests results and a centrifuge model test are used to validate the numerical model. Dimensionless horizontal load-displacement and overturning moment-rotation relationships are derived utilizing the Power law and Buckingham’s theorem. The results show good agreement between the numerical analysis results and the straight lines obtained from the Power law until a specific value of horizontal load and overturning moment. Regarding stress behavior of soil supporting the bucket, due to soil densification and bucket movement, maximum stresses are seen near the bucket tip at the right inside of the bucket. The major part of the applied load is transferred by the bucket skirt. Numerical analysis modeling results show that the bucket rotation and displacement are highly dependent on the bucket geometry and soil properties in addition to loading conditions. Normalized equations and figures for the ultimate horizontal load and overturning-moment capacities are presented and can be used for the preliminary design of the bucket foundations in sandy soils.     

The impact of offshore wind farms on beach recreation demand: Policy intake from an economic study on the Catalan coast

Offshore wind energy development can have major economic implications because of the potential impact on coastal recreation demand – particularly for countries that are characterised by high offshore wind power potential while also being popular tourist destinations. In this context, the impact of offshore wind farm projects on beach recreation demand in Catalonia (Spain) during the 2012 summer season was examined. A combined revealed and stated preference approach, which allows joint modelling of actual and hypothetical demands, was applied. The results demonstrate a significant welfare loss up to €203 million per season. The results further show that the installation of a wind farm mainly will cause a shift in trips to Catalan beaches without wind farms, which implies that the estimated negative economic impacts will occur mostly in areas where wind farms are located. From a political economy point of view, this may call for the design and implementation of re-distributive instruments to offset the negative impacts caused by wind farms.     

A GIS modelling framework to evaluate marine spatial planning scenarios: Co-location of offshore wind farms and aquaculture in the German EEZ

The concept of co-location of marine areas receives an increased significance in the light of sustainable development in the already heavily used offshore marine realm. Within this study, different spatial co-location scenarios for the coupling of offshore aquacultures and wind farms are evaluated in order to support efficient and sustainable marine spatial management strategies. A Geographic Information System (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) techniques were combined to index suitable co-sites in the German exclusive economic zone of the North Sea. The MCE was based on criteria such as temperature, salinity or oxygen. In total, 13 possible aquaculture candidates (seaweed, bivalves, fish and crustaceans) were selected for the scenario configuration. The GIS modelling framework proved to be powerful in defining potential co-location sites. The aquaculture candidate oarweed (Laminaria digitata) revealed the highest suitability scores at 10–20 m depth from April to June, followed by haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) at 20–30 m depth and dulse (Palmaria palmata) and Sea belt (Saccharina latissima) at 0–10 m depth between April and June. In summary, results showed several wind farms were de facto suitable sites for aquaculture since they exhibited high suitability scores for Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems combining fish species, bivalves and seaweeds. The present results illustrate how synergies may be realised between competing needs of both offshore wind energy and offshore IMTA in the German EEZ of the North Sea. This might offer guidance to stakeholders and assist decision-makers in determining the most suitable sites for pilot projects using IMTA techniques.     

Wave run-up on slender circular cylindrical foundations for offshore wind turbines in nonlinear random waves

A practical method for estimating the wave run-up height on a slender circular cylindrical foundation for wind turbines in nonlinear random waves is provided. The approach is based on the velocity stagnation head theory and Stokes second order wave theory by assuming the basic harmonic wave motion to be a stationary Gaussian narrow-band random process. Comparisons are made with measurements by De Vos et al. (2007), and some of the highest wave run-up events that were predicted agree with those measured.     

Wave run-up on cylindrical and cone shaped foundations for offshore wind turbines

During the last decade, several offshore wind-farms were built and offshore wind energy promises to be a suitable alternative to provide green energy. However, there are still some engineering challenges in placing the foundations of offshore wind turbines. For example, wave run-up and wave impacts cause unexpected damage to boat landing facilities and platforms. To assess the forces due to wave run-up, the distribution of run-up around the pile and the maximum run-up height need to be known. This article describes a physical model study of the run-up heights and run-up distribution on two shapes of foundations for offshore wind turbines, including both regular and irregular waves. The influence of wave steepness, wave height and water depth on run-up is investigated. The measured run-up values are compared with applicable theories and previous experimental studies predicting run-up on a circular pile.     

The co-location of offshore windfarms and decapod fisheries in the UK: Constraints and opportunities

The offshore wind sector in the UK is expanding rapidly and is set to occupy significant areas of the coastal zone, making it necessary to explore the potential for co-location with other economic activities. The presence of turbine foundations introduces hard substrates into areas previously dominated by soft sediments, implying that artificial reef effects may occur, with potential benefits for fisheries. This review focuses on the possibilities for locating fisheries for two commercially important decapods, the brown crab Cancer pagurus and the European lobster Homarus gammarus, within offshore wind farms.Existing understanding of habitat use by C. pagurus and H. gammarus suggests that turbine foundations have the potential to act as artificial reefs, although the responses of these species to noise and electromagnetic fields are poorly understood. Offshore wind farm monitoring programmes provide very limited information, but do suggest that adult C. pagurus associate with turbine foundations, which may also serve as nursery areas. There was insufficient deployment and monitoring of rock armouring to draw conclusions about the association of H. gammarus with offshore wind farm foundations. The limited information currently available demonstrates the need for further research into the ecological and socio-economic issues surrounding fishery co-location potential.     

Evaluation of cyclic and monotonic loading behavior of bucket foundations used for offshore wind turbines

Suction caissons are considered as an alternative foundation solution for offshore wind turbines. In the present study, three-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses are performed to assess the behavior of a bucket foundation and soil supporting the bucket under cyclic and monotonic loading conditions. A parametric study is also performed for a wide range of bucket geometries and two different soil densities. The results indicate that bucket geometry and soil properties significantly affect the foundation response due to cyclic loading conditions. The bucket with the smallest geometry installed in medium dense soil exhibits the lowest stiffness in initial loading and then with the progress of cyclic loads experiences lower stiffness compared to the caissons with larger geometries. The sensitivity of the foundation response to the soil density is higher than its geometry. The bucket under the lowest vertical load experiences the lowest stiffness in both virgin loading and during the progress of cyclic loads. The highest soil displacement is observed near the lid at the interior of the bucket. Stresses caused by cyclic loading belong to certain ranges. Additionally, increases in the skirt length result in increases in the stress ranges and shift the range to the right side. With respect to the monotonic loading conditions, normalized diagrams are proposed that can be used for the preliminary design of suction bucket foundations.     

Wave run-up on slender piles in design conditions — Model tests and design rules for offshore wind

Wave run-up on foundations is a very important factor in the design of entrance platforms for offshore wind turbines. When the Horns Reef 1 wind turbine park in Denmark was designed the vertical wave run-up phenomenon was not well known in the industry, hence not sufficiently considered in the design of Horns Reef 1. As a consequence damage was observed on the platforms. This has been the situation for several sites and design tools for platform loads are lacking. As a consequence a physical model test study was initiated at Aalborg University to clarify wave run-up on cylindrical piles for different values of diameter to water depth ratios (D/h) and different wave heights to water depth ratios (H/h) for both regular and irregular waves. A calculation model is calibrated based on stream function theory for crest kinematics and velocity head stagnation theory. Due to increased velocities close to the pile an empirical factor is included on the velocity head. The evaluation of the calculation model shows that an accurate design rule can be established even in breaking wave conditions. However, calibration of a load model showed that it was necessary to increase the run-up factor on the velocity head by 40% to take into account the underestimation of run-up for breaking or nearly breaking waves given that they produce thin run-up wedges and air entrainment, two factors not coped with by the measurement system.     

海上风电场高桩承台群桩基础平台的设计研究

针对国内海上风电基础设计没有统一的规范及标准,为提升海上风电基础设计建设的水平,通过对东南沿海某海域海上风电基础的设计进行了有限元计算分析论证,验证了群桩高承台结构设计方案的设计方法和设计参数。分析结果表明该设计的最大应力主要发生在塔筒底座与承台接触部位及钢管桩与承台连接段,应在连接部位加强措施处理;基础竖直位移较小,水平位移相对较大;分界部位应力较集中,刚度不能顺畅过渡,可考虑填充碎石土等方法加强。本研究对海上风电基础设计技术的研究与探索,可为将来制定中国海上风电行业标准提供可靠的依据,对中国未来大批量的海上风电能源的开发有着重要意义。     

Modelling the drained response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines under general monotonic and cyclic loading

The response of bucket foundations on sand subjected to planar monotonic and cyclic loading is investigated in the paper. Thirteen monotonic and cyclic laboratory tests on a skirted footing model having a 0.3 m diameter and embedment ratio equal to 1 are presented. The loading regime reproduces the typical conditions of offshore wind turbines: very large cyclic overturning moment, large cyclic horizontal load and comparatively little, self-weight induced, vertical load. The experimental soil-foundation response is interpreted within the macro-element approach, using an existing analytical model, suitably modified to accommodate the footing embedment and the application of cyclic load. Details of the proposed model are provided together with evidences of its ability to reproduce the essential features of the experimentally observed behaviour. The results of the study aim at increasing the confidence in the use of the macro-element approach to predict the response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines, notably as the long-term accumulated displacements are concerned.     

近海风电场水下打桩辐射噪声特性测量分析

对滨海海上风电场一次完整的打桩过程不同水深处环境噪声进行监测和分析。结果表明:打桩过程水下辐射噪声脉冲信号,在所研究海域附近环境噪声级由原来打桩前的130 d B左右瞬间增加约20~50 d B,20~20 000 Hz频段,打桩噪声谱级高于工程前该海域背景环境噪声谱级约30~65 d B,100~1 000 Hz频率打桩辐射噪声谱级出现多个峰值,不同水深谱级最高峰值频率为200 Hz。根据打桩水下辐射噪声监测结果和浅海Marsh和Schulkin半经验公式,计算打桩辐射噪声声源级(距声源中心1 m处)为210.2 d B(参考声压1μPa)。为水下打桩辐射噪声的深入研究提供了基础数据,分析结果可供海洋环境和海洋生物保护研究参考。     

海上风电钢管桩自平衡法现场试验研究

一种新型钢管桩预装荷载箱法被研发出用于自平衡法海上风电钢管桩基检测试验,并通过现场自平衡试验研究探究了海上打入桩桩基础特性。该方法首次成功应用于海外某海上风电场直径1.4 m的超长大直径钢管桩承载力检测,用于探究其承载特性和桩侧桩端阻力发挥规律。现场试验显示,该新型检测方法达到了预期的测试效果和经济效益,与现有钢管桩自平衡法相比,对土的影响更小,可靠度更高,为类似土层和直径的超长钢管桩承载力试验提供了新的途径。     

Incorporating irregular nonlinear waves in coupled simulation and reliability studies of offshore wind turbines

Design of an offshore wind turbine requires estimation of loads on its rotor, tower and supporting structure. These loads are obtained by time-domain simulations of the coupled aero-servo-hydro-elastic model of the wind turbine. Accuracy of predicted loads depends on assumptions made in the simulation models employed, both for the turbine and for the input wind and wave conditions. Currently, waves are simulated using a linear irregular wave theory that is not appropriate for nonlinear waves, which are even more pronounced in shallow water depths where wind farms are typically sited. The present study investigates the use of irregular nonlinear (second-order) waves for estimating loads on the support structure (monopile) of an offshore wind turbine. We present the theory for the irregular nonlinear model and incorporate it in the commonly used wind turbine simulation software, FAST, which had been developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), but which had the modeling capability only for irregular linear waves. We use an efficient algorithm for computation of nonlinear wave elevation and kinematics, so that a large number of time-domain simulations, which are required for prediction of long-term loads using statistical extrapolation, can easily be performed. To illustrate the influence of the alternative wave models, we compute loads at the base of the monopile of the NREL 5MW baseline wind turbine model using linear and nonlinear irregular wave models. We show that for a given environmental condition (i.e., the mean wind speed and the significant wave height), extreme loads are larger when computed using the nonlinear wave model. We finally compute long-term loads, which are required for a design load case according to the International Electrotechnical Commission guidelines, using the inverse first-order reliability method. We discuss a convergence criteria that may be used to predict accurate 20-year loads and discuss wind versus wave dominance in the load prediction. We show that 20-year long-term loads can be significantly higher when the nonlinear wave model is used.     

Dynamic modeling and vibration suppression for an offshore wind turbine with a tuned mass damper in floating platform

The worldwide demand for renewable energy is increasing rapidly. Wind energy appears as a good solution to copy with the energy shortage situation. In recent years, offshore wind energy has become an attractive option due to the increasing development of the multitudinous offshore wind turbines. Because of the unstable vibration for the barge-type offshore wind turbine in various maritime conditions, an ameliorative method incorporating a tuned mass damper (TMD) in offshore wind turbine platform is proposed to demonstrate the improvement of the structural dynamic performance in this investigation. The Lagrange's equations are applied to establish a limited degree-of-freedom (DOF) mathematical model for the barge-type offshore wind turbine. The objective function is defined as the suppression rate of the standard deviation for the tower top deflection due to the fact that the tower top deflection is essential to the tower bottom fatigue loads, then frequency tuning method and genetic algorithm (GA) are employed respectively to obtain the globally optimum TMD design parameters using this objective function. Numerical simulations based on FAST have been carried out in typical load cases in order to evaluate the effect of the passive control system. The need to prevent the platform mass increasing obviously has become apparent due to the installation of a heavy TMD in the barge-type platform. In this case, partial ballast is substituted for the equal mass of the tuned mass damper, and then the vibration mitigation is simulated in five typical load cases. The results show that the passive control can improve the dynamic responses of the barge-type wind turbine by placing a TMD in the floating platform. Through replacing partial ballast with a uniform mass of the tuned mass damper, a significant reduction of the dynamic response is also observed in simulation results for the barge-type floating structure.     

春、秋季东海大桥海上风电场水域鱼类群落结构

为探明工程建设后东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落结构特征,作者利用等级聚类和多元统计等方法对该水域鱼类种类组成、优势种及群落结构进行分析。春、秋季共发现18种鱼类,隶属6目9科15属;鲈形目鱼类所占比例最高(50%),其中又以虾虎鱼科鱼类最高(44.4%)。春季优势种为短吻红舌鳎(Cynoglossus joyneri)、棘头梅童鱼(Collichthys lucidus)、矛尾虾虎鱼(Chaeturichthys stigmatias)和孔虾虎鱼(Trypauchen vagina),秋季优势种为棘头梅童鱼、龙头鱼(Harpadon nehereus)和凤鲚(Coilia mystus);棘头梅童鱼为春、秋季共同优势种。等级聚类和非度量多维标序排序表明,东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落可分为春季和秋季2个组群,相似性检验(ANOSIM)显示2个组群差异极显著(R=0.851,P0.01)。生物与环境相关分析(BIOENV)表明温度和盐度是影响东海大桥风电场水域鱼类群落结构的最主要环境因子,两者结合因子与鱼类群落的相关系数为0.791。本研究发现,东海大桥风电场水域是棘头梅童鱼、凤鲚、龙头鱼等多种鱼类的育幼和索饵场所,群落结构具有典型的季节特征。