Classification Society DNV has granted Gazelle Wind Power a statement of feasibility for its hybrid floating wind platform with, what Gazelle says is, a first-of-its-kind mobile mooring system.
Gazelle says that its system combines the best features of tension-leg and semi-submersible platforms while eliminating most of the drawbacks, enabling wind farms to be placed in deep waters as far out as 400 meters.
"Lighter than conventional platforms, [the system] uses approximately 70% less steel and is one-third the weight of other floating platforms. It delivers 70% less horizontal movement than semi-submersible platforms, and has a tilt of less than 1 degree, and has 80% less mooring tension load than tension leg platforms," Gazelle Wind Power said.
The company claims its Gazelle platform to be more compact and simpler to build, deploy, and maintain than other floating platforms, "which translates to dramatically lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE)."
“Achieving DNV verification of our disruptive platform is a major milestone that validates the 12 years of research and innovation that has gone into this technology,” said Jon Salazar, founder, and president of Gazelle Wind Power. “Our system, and technologies like it, will be key in global decarbonization goals and will have a significant impact on the growth of the floating offshore wind market.”
The company has cited a DNV report according to which the floating offshore wind market is projected to reach 250GW by 2050.
"Gazelle’s innovative mooring system is a completely new concept,” said Claudio Bittencourt Ferreira, business development director at DNV. “Achieving the Statement of Feasibility as part of the concept assessment defined in DNVGL-SE-0422 is a confirmation that Gazelle has demonstrated technical feasibility of the technology to deliver its targets in line with the requirements of our service specification that was developed to enable innovation in the marine renewables market.”