Norwegian holding company Bonheur has established Fred Olsen 1848 to develop solutions to the challenges of new renewable energy technologies, including floating offshore wind power.
Headquartered in Oslo and with interests in energy, shipping and other sectors, Bonheur has said it will build on its “solid experience within renewables” to spearhead efforts to develop “tomorrow’s sustainable energy solutions”.
Fred Olsen 1848, named after the date the shipping company started operating, will focus on the development and commercialisation of new technologies related to renewable energy.
“We aim to be the frontrunner in developing tomorrow’s technologies within renewables and thereby becoming the preferred partner for businesses and organisations looking for the right solution,” said Sofie Olsen Jebsen, chief executive of Fred Olsen 1848.
Fred Olsen 1848 has developed a mobile port solution that uses jack-up installation vessels in sheltered waters for the integration with the turbine to the floating foundation structure.
The company is developing Brunel, a modular concept for floating wind turbine foundations that is suitable for serial and automated production, allowing for instant scale-up at low cost, it claims.
Fred Olsen 1848 is also working on a solution to improve maintenance of floating wind turbines — a crucial element in lowering the cost of floating wind energy.
