Wind Catching
with a different approach

Designed to maximize energy yield from each unit

Designed for highly efficient operations and maintenance

Integrated turbine handling system

No specialised vessels or cranes, no need to return to port

50 year design life of structure

Capacity scaling

The Windcatcher system scales with the number of turbines, not with the size of each turbine.

  • The Windcatcher power capacity is scaled by changing the number of identical turbines, with no influence on turbine design, blade lengths or even the supply chain. This is opposed to single-rotor turbines, which meet significant new technology and logistical barriers from the increase of generator capacity, blade lengths and more

  • With significant freedom in capacity scaling, the Windcatcher may be employed in medium-scale distributed power or in gigawatt-scale integrated offshore systems. The basic system characteristics and components are retained irrespective of the size and use of the system. This means project developers can have strong confidence in supply chain and component availability.

Operations & Maintenance

The Windcatcher technology is based on a fully integrated operations- and maintenance system. The elevator platform can reach any turbine for inspection, maintenance or replacement. The small size and weight of the turbines and blades allows for transport to and from field using smaller service vessels without cranes. This opens up a revolutionary approach to offshore wind O&M where developers can employ a “swap over repair” approach, with turbine repairs and overhauls done onshore.

  • Offshore lifting at height from a floating crane vessel to a floating wind turbine is an extremely challenging operation, and for many areas practically impossible during the winter months. The only alternative is to return the unit to port to reach a suitable crane. With the Windcatcher this is no longer the case, and offshore lifting is reduced to container-sized cargo close to sea level. The consequence is a significant improvement in power availability as well as a significant reduction in O&M costs.

  • As each turbine is an individual unit, the stop of one turbine on a Windcatcher leads to a very small reduction of the overall power production. This allows project owners a new freedom in planning of maintenance and repair schedules. Maintenance campaigns can be planned to optimize the project yield over time.

    Moreover, the redundancy means no single power system failure will significantly affect the system’s overall performance, ushering in a new world of floating wind performance security over a project lifetime.

Acreage

The Windcatcher is designed to maximize the electricity production per floating unit, and thus maximize the energy yield from the ocean acreage used.

  • The largest unit in the Windcatcher range has an installed capacity of 126MW. This unit will generate 5 times the electricity of a 15MW standalone turbine system in North Sea conditions and even more in certain high-wind locations around the world.

  • By co-locating multiple turbines on a single floater, the Windcatcher not only maximizes the energy yield per area used, but also reduces the number of units needed to meet our energy needs. This means fewer marine operations, less cables and moorings and a better starting point for co-existence within the ocean space.

Standardization

The Windcatcher system consists of many small turbines. These low-complexity machines are specifically designed for a flexible supply chain and to be available for mass production in any region.

  • The turbines for the Windcatcher system are designed to be containerized, and their low complexity makes them suitable for assembly in all relevant offshore wind markets. It also allows the developers to tap into a much wider supply chain. This makes the Windcatcher unique in the opportunities it creates for local supply chain and local content creation in offshore wind projects.

  • In the Windcathcer, most of the electrical components in the power generation system are placed at the deck level. At height, the turbine is simply a rotor and a direct drive generator.