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Global growth in offshore wind turbine technology

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Abstract

Due to the commissioning of floating wind units, the latest technological developments, significant growth, and improvements in turbines, developments in offshore wind power capacity are estimated to increase faster than in the last two decades. The total installed offshore wind power capacity, which is currently 35 GW, is predicted to be approximately 382 GW by 2030 and approximately 2002 GW by 2050. For this reason, attempts are proposed to lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for offshore wind power generation more than for other energy sources. In this study firstly, the global growth in the nominal capacity and size of offshore wind turbines over the last twenty years is examined. Then, the effects of this increase in nominal capacity and size on the LCOE, total installation cost (TIC), and turbine capacity factor are investigated. In parallel with this development, the changes in distance to shore and water depth for installation offshore wind power plants are reviewed according to the years. In addition, the effects of this global growth on wind farm capacity, turbine-specific power capacity, number of turbines per GW, and area needed per GW are investigated and discussed in detail.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank to the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) for funding this project under Grant No. 121O406.

Funding

This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the Grant number 121O406.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Cukurova University, 01950, Adana, Turkey

    Mehmet Bilgili

  2. Landscape Architecture Department, Cukurova University, 01330, Adana, Turkey

    Hakan Alphan

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  1. Mehmet Bilgili
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  2. Hakan Alphan
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Correspondence to Mehmet Bilgili.

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Bilgili, M., Alphan, H. Global growth in offshore wind turbine technology. Clean Techn Environ Policy 24, 2215–2227 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-022-02314-0

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