Optimization of a Lightweight Floating Offshore Wind Turbine with Water Ballast Motion Mitigation Technology

Floating offshore wind turbines are a promising technology for addressing energy needs by utilizing resources offshore. The current state of the art is based on heavy, expensive platforms to survive ocean environment. Typical design techniques do not involve optimization because computationally time domain solvers used model motions and loads in However, this uses an efficient frequency solver with genetic algorithm rapidly optimize novel floating turbine concept. concept utilizes liquid ballast mass mitigate lightweight post-tensioned concrete platform. simple cruciform-shaped platform made less than steel, reducing raw material manufacturing cost. use water behave as tuned damper allows smaller achieve same much larger platform, thus applied these innovations resulted levelized cost USD 0.0753/kWh, roughly half art.