DOWNVInD was an INTEGRATED PROJECT (i.e.; it entailed both RTD (Research & Technological Development) and Demonstrator activities. The project was funded primarily by Talisman Energy (UK) Limited and Scottish & Southern Energy, with support from the EC 6TH FRAMEWORK Programme, the UK DTI NEW & RENEWABLES ENERGY PROGRAMME and the SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE.
The RTD programme conducted research into the factors of Environmental, Electrical, Operations & Maintenance and Wind Turbine substructure pertinent to the installation and operation of large capacity windfarms offshore in deepwater.
The Demonstrator programme installed two 5 MW wind turbine generators (WTG's) in deepwater near the Beatrice Alpha oil production platform in the Moray Firth offshore North East Scotland, then monitored their operation for an extended period to gather data on the WTG and substructure performance.
The purpose of the Beatrice demonstrator project was to:
- Better understand the environmental impact of deepwater wind farms
- Prove the concept of a deepwater wind farm
- Explore the cost-effectiveness of deepwater sites
- Share knowledge and experience across Europe
- Pioneer the development of deepwater wind farms
- Improve and commercialise the technology
