A crew transfer vessel will plug into a floating power buoy off the east coast of Scotland and recharge its batteries from an offshore wind turbine, without returning to port. This matters because the offshore wind industry relies on diesel-powered boats to ferry technicians to and from turbines. Electrifying those vessels cuts emissions and fuel costs, but only if they can recharge at sea. Current battery ranges are too short for a full day’s work without a shore-side charge, which wastes time and fuel on the return trip. The project tests whether a mooring buoy equipped with a high-power DC power supply can safely transfer electricity to a vessel in open water, using standardised connectors developed through a Carbon Trust initiative. If the demonstrator succeeds, the same modular power supply design could scale to multi-megawatt charging for larger service vessels and eventually for cargo ships. That would let offshore wind farms supply their own maintenance fleet with renewable electricity, reducing the carbon footprint of the entire operation. The desk-based study for a Mega Watt Charging Scheme also prepares the ground for faster charging of future vessels with larger batteries.
View original technical description
This is an exciting project which aims to demonstrate core functionality of an electric (or hybrid-electric) Crew Transfer Vessel's (CTV’s) offshore charging system in its operational environment. The partners and supporters in this proposal are experienced companies who bring existing technology components to the table. During this project the Oasis Power Buoy will be uprated and developed to its 2nd generation, building on testing which has preceded this project and developing core power supply components for the future commercial system. The proposal is to install an Oasis Power Buoy (OPB) offshore the east coast of Scotland, in conditions shared by many near-by windfarms including Vattenfall's European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) in nearby Aberdeen Bay. A CTV will use the system for over a month and will demonstrate making mooring connection to the buoy and will pass power through the Oasis Power Buoy and back onto the vessel, where an electric CTV energy management system and battery bank will be recharged. This will demonstrate the mooring connection and methodology, the communication system, the standardised connectors (designs for which were completed within the duration of our project via a Carbon Trust initiative) and other core elements of the technology such as bespoke transfer cables and enhanced deckhead and powerhead functionality. Turbo Power Systems Ltd will design, build and test a high-power DC Power Supply. This consists of critical components which can be connected in parallel to build multi-MW DC power supplies for future charging of CTVs, larger Service Operations Vessels (SOVs), and other types of vessels. Within the project this will take two forms. Firstly, design and build of a power supply unit to be used in the demonstration at power levels receivable by existing electric vessel batteries. Secondly, a desk-based study for the development of a Mega Watt Charging Scheme (MCS) ready solution with Combined Charging Scheme (CCS) capabilities to deliver higher power levels. Preparation for a future demonstrator, to be installed at Vattenfall's EOWDC will be carried out including detailed structural layouts and turbine power supply integration and installation plans. Project management will be handled by ORE Catapult. Vattenfall are a keen supporter of this proposal.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know