Offshore Wind Plant Balance-of-Station Cost Drivers and Sensitivities (Poster)

Research output: NRELPoster

Abstract

With Balance of System (BOS) costs contributing up to 70% of the installed capital cost, it is fundamental to understanding the BOS costs for offshore wind projects as well as potential cost trends for larger offshore turbines. NREL developed a BOS model using project cost estimates developed by GL Garrad Hassan. Aspects of BOS covered include engineering and permitting, ports and staging,transportation and installation, vessels, foundations, and electrical. The data introduce new scaling relationships for each BOS component to estimate cost as a function of turbine parameters and size, project parameters and size, and soil type. Based on the new BOS model, an analysis to understand the non-turbine costs associated with offshore turbine sizes ranging from 3 MW to 6 MW andoffshore wind plant sizes ranging from 100 MW to 1000 MW has been conducted. This analysis establishes a more robust baseline cost estimate, identifies the largest cost components of offshore wind project BOS, and explores the sensitivity of the levelized cost of energy to permutations in each BOS cost element. This presentation shows results from the model that illustrates the potential impactof turbine size and project size on the cost of energy from US offshore wind plants.
Original languageAmerican English
StatePublished - 2012

Publication series

NamePresented at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Offshore WINDPOWER, 9-11 October 2012, Virginia Beach, Virginia

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/PO-5000-56132

Keywords

  • balance of plant materials (BOP)
  • balance of station
  • balance of systems (BOS)
  • BOS
  • costs
  • wind

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