In an increasingly competitive market there is the need for wind turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to be in constant development to ensure they maintain their position. This development may be complete new platforms to target new markets' locations or, as in offshore wind, the ever increasing drive to 'go big', but may also mean upgrades or variations to current platforms to provide incremental benefits.
At Frazer-Nash we have commercial experience of these development programmes and have previously supported clients with:
- Design, implementation and testing of control systems
- Blade design load iterations
- Complete system loads analysis
- Structural analysis of key components
- Assessment of installation and maintenance procedures
- Writing processes for safety related software development
- Developing best practice and internal design methods.
We believe our broad technical understanding of the wind turbine system allows us to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients. This technical understanding, alongside our ability to work as part of – and lead – teams of design engineers, enables our customers to have confidence in our support.
Whilst the scale of opportunity in floating wind is not currently there to justify a full floating platform design, the emergence of floating wind at commercial scale on the horizon is likely to mean that this will be a key consideration in the design of future platforms. Our deep understanding of floating wind loads analysis from work on six commercial projects means we know what matters for the design process and can target development appropriately. We maintain our position on the cutting-edge of floating wind technology through our engagement with joint industry projects and through internal research undertaken in conjunction with contacts throughout the industry.