July 30, 2024
Although floating offshore wind power technology currently faces various challenges such as cost and operation, IRENA predicts that by 2035, this technology is expected to achieve scale and become a cost competitive renewable energy technology.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recently released the “Floating Offshore Wind Outlook” report (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”), which pointed out that as of the end of 2023, the global installed capacity of floating offshore wind power is only about 270 megawatts, but the planned installed capacity of floating offshore wind power projects is as high as 244 gigawatts. The huge installation plan mainly comes from China, the United States, and the European Union, which also means that the interest of countries around the world in this emerging renewable energy technology is increasing day by day. Although floating offshore wind power technology currently faces various challenges such as cost and operation, IRENA predicts that by 2035, this technology is expected to achieve scale and become a cost competitive renewable energy technology.
Significant increase in technical attention
The report points out that in the context of global energy transition, offshore wind power has received increasing attention due to its high-capacity characteristics and increasingly prominent competitiveness. As a major sub field, floating offshore wind power technology is also receiving increasing attention from stakeholders. On the one hand, due to the greater potential for wind energy development in deep-sea areas, the application space of floating technology is enormous; On the other hand, floating offshore wind power has a much greater offshore distance than fixed wind power, and has a relatively smaller impact on social life, which is expected to gain wider social recognition.
According to calculations, the potential for the development of floating offshore wind power worldwide exceeds 13 terawatts. Although the installed capacity of floating offshore wind power is relatively small, major economies have begun to lay out related layouts for floating offshore wind power. China, EU countries, and some Southeast Asian countries have started to implement floating offshore wind power practices, and countries such as the UK, France, and Japan have successively released their latest offshore wind power development plans.
Taking France as an example, this year the French government announced a development goal of installing 18 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2035, and at the same time began leasing sea areas for floating offshore wind power projects. In addition, France has proposed to invest 300 million euros in special funds for the development of floating offshore wind power.
According to the report, as of the end of 2023, the planned installed capacity of floating offshore wind power in various countries around the world has increased by 32% year-on-year, with an unprecedented growth rate. Among them, the installed capacity of floating offshore wind power projects in the early planning stage is about 175 gigawatts; 68 gigawatts of capacity have already started the development process such as sea leasing; At the same time, 576 MW projects have been approved or entered the preliminary construction stage, and 46 MW projects are under construction and will soon be put into operation.
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