Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines: Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation - Special Report 305

摘要

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is responsible for the orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible development of offshore renewable energy on the outer continental shelf (OCS). The committee that authored this report was tasked with reviewing BOEMRE's proposed approach to overseeing the design of offshore wind turbines for structural integrity. The committee was asked to review the applicability and adequacy of standards and practices that could be used for the design, fabrication and installation of offshore wind turbines. It was also asked to review the role of third-party certified verification agents (CVAs) and the expertise and qualifications needed to carry out the role of a CVA. Because of earlier development of offshore wind energy in Europe, European countries have taken the lead in matters related to the regulation, installation, and operation of offshore wind farms. Their national regulations recognize and incorporate International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for the design of offshore wind turbines. Because the IEC standards, on their own, do not cover all aspects of the design and construction of offshore wind turbines, they have generally been supplemented by national regulatory requirements, other standards and guidelines, and recommended practices developed by industry. The committee found that even such packages of regulations, standards, and guidelines have clear deficiencies, particularly if applied to planned installations along the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.