Parkwind has installed a boat charging station system at sea, designed to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from maintenance vessels.
The company says the system, developed by U.K.-based MJR, is operational for the first time at its Nobelwind wind farm. The technology enables vessels to connect to the charging cable using an automatic coupling and uncoupling process and allows it to stay in place while charging despite sea currents.
“We are committed to making all of our activities as sustainable as possible and this is a game changer for our maintenance vessels, which can now access green energy direct from our wind turbines as they carry out their work,” says Kristof Verlinden, head of O&M at Parkwind. “The trial proved the system can transfer electricity from a wind farm to the vessels safely without any disruption to the farm.”
The system was transported from the quayside to the offshore substation via CTV and lifted in modules using the substation crane. The process caused no disruption or interruption to the wind farm’s operation.
MJR carried out all electrical and mechanical interface engineering to install the system on the substation. Parkwind provided offshore logistics, offshore installation, testing support and the electrical power interface.
