Innovative Anchoring System for Floating Offshore Wind

The cost of anchoring offshore floating wind turbines is an obstacle to reducing the cost of energy from offshore floating wind projects and presents an opportunity for savings. Deep water at sites on the West Coast further drives up these costs. Traditional anchoring systems use large heavy weights, casings, or high drag embedment forces to achieve high-pullout forces required for moorings. High weights and forces ultimately convert into high costs. Triton proposes a robust anchoring system that can be installed with low forces and managed remotely from a generic offshore vessel. This approach is already being adopted as a cost-saving measure for seafloor characterization surveys in deepwater and can provide similar cost savings for mooring installation costs. During Phase I, the team conducted geotechnical studies to generate installation requirements and show the feasibility of the anchoring approach. A preliminary design of the installation system was developed and cost reduction potential of the solution was quantified. In Phase II, the team will move toward commercialization of the anchoring system.Geotechnical analysis and anchor design from Phase I will be refined and extended, a prototype will be developed, and the installation method will be demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: This anchoring technology is scalable and applicable to many types of subsea foundations beyond offshore wind, such as oil & gas, pipelines, and other renewable energy systems.Beyond the public benefit of lower cost green energy, the system minimizes acoustic impacts on the environment, and is completely removable.