Glosten to commercialize PelaStar offshore wind turbine platform

Seattle based naval architectural and engineering consultancy Glosten Associates, Inc. has announced plans to commercialize its PelaStar floating wind turbine platform, and make the technology available to the offshore wind energy industry within the year.

Glosten says the PelaStar platform provides a scalable, integrated blade tip–to–seabed solution that minimizes the cost of energy in deepwater offshore wind sites. The technology was recently selected for an intermediate-scale prototype installation project with deployment planned for next summer in the northeast United States.

Glosten engineers developed Tension-Leg Turbine Platform (TLTP) technology in 2006 to meet the need for a cost-effective, high performance floating turbine foundation system,. This internal research and development effort led to a project for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator Program, that provided development support and allowed the technology to be vetted by Carbon Trust members including both international energy firms and offshore wind power developers.

The Glosten PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP) combines proven technology with rigorous research, development, and engineering. By adapting established TLP technology from the oil and gas industry and incorporating breakthroughs in critical structural, mooring, and anchoring elements, PelaStar has addressed the complex challenges of offshore wind power development. In addition to being the lowest cost deepwater solution, key benefits include: minimal motion, minimal steel weight, and complete quayside integration of the turbine and tower on the PelaStar foundation.

PelaStar is an optimal solution for fully-exposed, open-ocean sites with water depths greater than 60 meters, where bottom-fixed jacket structures become costly. The baseline PelaStar design supports current 5 MW to 6 MW offshore wind turbine systems and is being scaled to support next generation turbines of 10 MW and greater.

July 19, 2011