COMPARISON OF O&M COST OF DIFFERENT SCENARIOS FOR A 1GW FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND FARM

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs in an offshore wind project can constitute up to 30% of its total cost, a figure that can increase with the distance of the project offshore. The University of Exeter's Renewable Energy Group developed a study utilising the O&M module of Ec simulator, which can furnish a user with critical performance indicators, to examine O&M costs under various scenarios for 1 GW floating offshore wind (FLOW) farm sites in the Celtic Sea. The simulator conducts a range of Monte Carlo simulations over the entire lifespan of the FLOW farm, considering user-specified variables and limitations such as fleet size and the vessel's weather resilience. In this study, three different O&M cases are used to demonstrate the flexibility and functionality of the O&M module. Each case represents different wind farm selections under the exactly farm configuration, such as the capacity and numbers of the wind turbine. Results of these simulations offer a multitude of key performance indicators (KPIs), including energy production, downtime, energy-based availability and comprehensive O&M costs. It also gives more granular data, such as the number of component failures and vessel operating hours, aiding in the critical decision-making process for successful project management. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate how manipulating specific parameters can impact the viability of FLOW farms in the Celtic Sea.