Among the initiatives observed in recent years to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, a very popular one is the construction of offshore wind farms to advance the transition of the energy matrix to renewable sources not based on hydrocarbons. Wind energy is one of the most advanced technologies in the generation of renewable energy and the installation of turbines at sea, with more constant winds, has a potential up to twice as high as on land. [1]
Brazil, although late, is entering this race in order to ensure domestic supply, in addition to reducing dependence on thermoelectric plants: although Brazil has a less polluting electricity matrix than the world average, with a large representation of hydroelectric plants (61% of installed capacity is based on water resources) and even wind farms (8,8%), fossil materials are still responsible for 15% of installed capacity in Brazil (the total capacity is 178GW). [two]
Figure 1 : Brazilian Electric Matrix (Source ANEEL/ABSOLAR [3])
In this sense, EPE (Empresa de Pesquisa Energética) published, this month, the Roadmap Eólica Offshore Brasil, a study that calculates the potential of the source in the country – 700GW, almost four times the currently installed capacity – and identifies the main challenges for its implementation . [4,5] The Offshore Wind Outlook 2019 report, prepared by the IEA (International Energy Agency), is another that discusses the current scenario of the sector, in addition to presenting the uncertainties that may hinder the development of offshore wind energy. [6]
A common point between the views of the two institutes is that one of the main obstacles to the advancement of offshore wind energy is the structuring of a reliable supply chain capable of meeting the complex specifications of projects like these. The logistics activity needs to ensure coordination between the planning stages and ensure financial competitiveness compared to other energy sources. [5,6]
The process of building an onshore wind farm is already complicated from a logistical point of view. It is necessary to transport the turbine components to the installation site (the blades are about 80 meters long and the towers exceed 100 meters): in the case of the Folha Larga Sul park, in Campo Formoso (BA), the blades had to be be transported for about 1.000 kilometers from Pecém (CE). This transport requires structural assessment of bridges and escort by the Federal Highway Police to ensure safety throughout the journey. [7]
Figure 2: Transporting a wind turbine blade requires planning – current blades reach lengths of around 80 meters (Source: TecMundo [8])
In addition, there is a need to make it possible to assemble the turbines on site, which, once assembled, are difficult to move around, and to create the necessary structure to maintain the equipment and operate the park. In many cases, a logistical hub is created that receives the parts and makes pre-assembly possible to reduce effort in the field. However, the requirements of such a structure are very different from those of a conventional logistics hub, with high standard loads, as in the port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire, in France, where the wind turbine operating docks are designed for 15 tons per square meter. [9]
In the case of an offshore park, the complexity increases, since all assembly and installation steps are carried out at sea by specialized vessels for each operation. There are tugboats to transport the platforms, ROVs to support mooring and cabling operations, crane vessels to lift the parts and assemble the turbine on the platform.
Figure 3: Crane vessel installs a wind turbine in Taiwan (Source: Reve [10])
Because it is extremely specific machinery, hiring vessels is a long process and the figures are high. Thus, the equipment charter period is usually short and the dates are defined well in advance – the vessels may have to travel long distances to reach the operating sites.
This means that delays in the supply of parts of the turbines may compromise the progress of the project: if the lease period for a vessel ends before the completion of the planned activities, this may mean the start of a new contracting process and, as the vessels are in high demand due to their use in the oil and gas industry as well, may incur even longer delays.
As seen, the consequences of problems in the logistics chain of an offshore wind farm can be very costly. There are many highly critical resources with a high degree of dependence on other activities and the room for maneuver is small. Therefore, it is necessary to seek solutions that reduce operational risks in order to guarantee competitive costs and increase its economic attractiveness.
The IEA report points out as an action to be taken the standardization of equipment and operations, which would reduce the exposure to supply problems and facilitate the maintenance of the turbines. [6] The document written by EPE indicates the redefinition of the assembly steps to reduce the requirements of the vessels. [5] Both texts also point to governments as important agents in regulating and promoting the exploitation of this energy source, so that the private sector feels comfortable investing in offshore wind farms and their supply chain, as happened with Alstom (whose energy division was later purchased by General Electric) and its nacelle factory set up in 2014 in the Saint-Nazaire region, close to the main offshore wind projects in France, reducing the operational difficulty of transporting to the installation site and improving thus the response time of your production. [11,12]
In the current scenario, offshore wind farms are limited to depths of a few tens of meters. As available technology evolves and depths increase, the challenges will also grow in complexity and we need to be ready to ensure that logistics do not impede the development of a more sustainable world.
Sources:
[1] https://www.iberdrola.com/meio-ambiente/como-funcionam-os-parques-eolicos-offshore (20.02.2020)
[2] http://www2.aneel.gov.br/aplicacoes/capacidadebrasil/OperacaoCapacidadeBrasil.cfm (17.02.2020)
[3] https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/conteudo-publicitario/borne-engenharia/entenda-o-atual-cenario-do-mercado-brasileiro-de-energia/ (20.02.2020)
[4] http://www.epe.gov.br/pt/imprensa/noticias/epe-publica-o-roadmap-eolica-offshore-brasil (18.02.2020)
[5] http://www.epe.gov.br/sites-pt/publicacoes-dados-abertos/publicacoes/PublicacoesArquivos/publicacao-456/Roadmap_Eolica_Offshore_EPE_versao_R1.pdf (18.02.2020)
[6] https://webstore.iea.org/download/direct/2886?filename=offshore_wind_outlook_2019.pdf (18.02.2020)
[7] https://energiahoje.editorabrasilenergia.com.br/a-complexidade-logistica-do-parque-eolico-folha-larga-sul/ (18.02.2020)
[8] https://www.tecmundo.com.br/energia-eolica/53969-lamina-de-turbina-eolica-de-83-metros-e-transportada-por-caminhoes.htm (18.02.2020)
[9] https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/eolien-offshore-les-travaux-du-hub-logistique-nazairien-avancent (19.02.2020)
[10] https://www.evwind.es/2019/10/09/final-wind-turbine-installed-at-taiwans-first-offshore-wind-farm/71250 (19.02.2020)
[11] https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/pays-de-la-loire/saint-nazaire-lusine-deoliennes-ge-passe-aux-grandes-series-1144267 (20.02.2020)
Lucas Weber
ILOS consultant since 2018, working on projects focused on Logistics and Supply Chain in several sectors: pharmaceutical, home appliances, retail and steel. Among the projects developed are the redesign of the logistics network, conducting the transport contracting process and preparing a business plan.
