Thomsen - Offshore Wind

Second Edition

Kurt E. Thomsen

Advanced Offshore Solutions, Tranbjerg, Denmark

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ISBN: 978-0-12-410422-8

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To Jrgen W. Brorson, who made this adventure possible.

Kurt E. Thomsen

This is the second edition of the book on how to install wind farms offshore. Since I started this project and since the first edition was published two and a half years ago, I have learned a lot.

One of the things I have learned is to engage the knowledge of my peers who, in many cases, have specialist knowledge of the areas I have been discussing in the book. This second edition is does just this.

In the first edition, Rachel Pachter and Paul Quinlan contributed information concerning the permitting process, particularly in the United States. Paul did the groundwork in describing what the permitting regimes looked like in other countries where offshore wind is a significant market. In this edition, the German wind industry and the permitting systemwhich has undergone changes over the last yearsis explained in simple terms by Lars Frohne, a young, skilled lawyer who consults on these matters, still recognizing that this is a living thing, which will require revisiting on a regular basis.

Stephen Bolton has redesigned the entire chapter on O&M strategies and equipment, as this area is undergoing a radical and fast adjustment process to fit the market demand. The reason is simple, we push the offshore wind farms further and further out to sea, at a pace which is staggering. The solutions for bringing people and components out there are changing so quickly that what was right yesterday is bad for tomorrows demand. Stephen has followed this area closely over more than a decade and he has provided some very interesting insight in this area.

I am proud to have all of these friends contributing to this book. It is my hope that it will improve the reading experience and add an additional layer to the knowledge you can gain from reading these pages.

My own contribution to this edition has been the description of what has truly been a staggering experienceto enter the market of installing the substations and other extremely large structures which, for the future, will form an integral part of the wind farms far offshore. The experiences I describe will help to explain why this part of the industry is very different from the run of the mill installation of offshore wind turbines.

So, with confidence that professionals have given their insights to the market you wish to explore, and with the updates which I myself have added, I hope you will receive this book well.

Kurt E. Thomsen is the mastermind whose innovative ideas effectively invented functional offshore wind farms. An architect and crane operator by profession, he developed and patented the worlds first crane ship, before which there was no way to successfully transport and install wind turbines at sea. He has founded four companies, one of which, A2SEA A/S, has installed more than 800 wind turbines in the waters around Denmark, Sweden, Holland, and the United Kingdom.

The world's largest wind turbine manufacturers, including Vestas, Gamesa, GE, Siemens, Areva, and Nordex, have been working with Mr. Thomsen to develop new turbine designs that will facilitate better productivity in marine conditions. His current company, Advanced Offshore Solutions, has developed technology that enables the transport of 18 wind turbines simultaneously, and can complete installation of the lot within 24 h.

A highly sought-after conference speaker and consultant, Mr. Thomsen has edited and translated technical books in English, German, Norwegian, and Danish. He is also a contributing columnist for Cranes Today magazine.

Rachel Pachter is the Permitting and Environmental Manager for Energy Management Inc., the developer of Cape Windthe first proposed and permitted offshore wind project in the United States. Rachel has been working in U.S. offshore wind development since 2002.

Paul Quinlan is Managing Director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association. He has extensive experience developing and promoting onshore and offshore wind energy policies. In addition, he regularly teaches and publishes reports on renewable energy topics.

Lars Frohne , LL.M., is a lawyer at Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH in Hamburg. He has been a lawyer since 2012 and joined Luther in November 2013. Lars Frohne studied and qualified in Hamburg and Stellenbosch and worked in London prior to joining Luther.

He advises clients in all matters pertaining commercial and shipping law, in particular with regard to the building, rebuilding, purchasing, and selling of merchant ships, the drafting of the financing contracts associated therewith, and the drafting of installation contracts for offshore wind farms.