It combines Ideol’s ‘Damping Pool’ design with the SeeOs concept – scalable, efficient, evolutive offshore station – developed by substation manufacturer AOE (formerly known as STX).
Ideol’s ‘Damping Pool’ traps water inside a ring, dampening the dynamic movements of the platform. Meanwhile, AOE’s platform is based on a standard 200-300MW substation, but with increased modularity enabling multiple platforms to be combined so that it can accommodate power requirements of more than 1GW.
The substation can be used for both bottom-fixed and floating wind farms in water depths of 40 metres and more.
Ideol and AOE claim that by installing the substation’s topside onto the floater – without the need for heavy-lift operations – and testing it at quayside, they can achieve "significant cost reductions" against traditional substations.
They added that the necessary supply chain for production is readily available, the substation can be serially produced, and it is ready for upcoming floating commercial tenders.
The partners unveiled the substation at a technical seminar in Paris, France, attended by transmission system operators (TSOs), power utilities and offshore wind developers.
Its commercial launch follows nearly two years of development in cooperation with cable supplier ABB, the partners added.
Ideol and AOE – then known as STX Offshore – first announced their collaboration on the substation in May 2018. STX first unveiled its modular design for offshore substations – that could be installed on floating foundations – in June 2017.
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