Here's the world's first subsea power distribution system for floating offshore wind farms

Aker Solutions, a low-carbon and renewable energy projects company, has penned a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract with the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) in Norway for a new subsea power system technology designed to reduce running costs of the MetCentre's offshore wind farms.

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The new contract will introduce a new power transmission technology called the Subsea Collector to MetCentre's offshore wind farm, which currently consists of two wind turbines located approximately 6 miles off the coast of Karmøy, Norway.

The test area is expected to expand the fleet to seven wind turbines from 2026, and according to a press release, the Subsea Collector throws out the traditional daisy-chain pattern used to connect wind turbines, and offers a new star-shaped pattern that enables more flexibility architecturally within the designed wind farm area, reduced cable length between turbines, and reduces installation costs. According to Aker Solutions, the Subsea Collector is expected to reduce the costs of a 1GW floating wind farm by up to 10%.

"The Subsea Collector is a great example of true industry collaboration. Combining Aker Solutions' vast subsea experience with our partner's proven control and connection systems, we aim to solve challenges currently facing the offshore wind sector. We hope this project will result in a field proven system that can benefit the industry for many years to come," says Jo Kjetil Krabbe, executive vice president of Power Solutions at Aker Solutions

"This pioneering project will contribute to shaping the infrastructure in future large scale floating wind parks. The technology is under development, and the project demonstrates how Norwegian subsea expertise from the oil and gas industry drives innovation forward within floating offshore wind on a global scale," says CEO of METCentre and Norwegian Offshore Wind, Arvid Nesse