About SeaTwirl
The Challenge
SeaTwirl and our planet is facing a global challenge. We want to make our contribution to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and significantly reduce its devastating long-term effects on the environment and all other life forms. We firmly believe that our work will make a difference. We define the challenge as addressing three important goals:
CO2 reduction
2°C cap
Good life
SeaTwirl has a clear vision for the future
The company is in the process of developing the 1 MW rated capacity SeaTwirl S2, which is scheduled for completion by 2022. Our ambition is to sell our first commercial unit to a leading energy company and then establish a floating offshore wind farm in 2025.
Onshore wind power is an established major international industry. Offshore wind power is still rather small in global terms, but growing very fast, having doubled between 2014 and 2015 in Europe. It is still more expensive to build offshore wind farms compared to onshore wind farms. However, offshore wind turbine prices are falling and, for numerous reasons, it is far better to place the turbines offshore. The main argument for increasing offshore wind power is that winds are more frequent and stronger, and the same-size turbine therefore generates significantly more energy.
Commercial offshore wind power is currently foundation based. This means that the areas which can be developed for offshore wind power are limited to shallow waters. It is not economically feasible to build in water deeper than approx. 50 metres. Therefore, the next step is floating wind turbines. Offshore and floating wind power are expected to expand substantially in the coming decades.
SeaTwirl has a unique solution for floating wind power. Each part of the wind turbine is a proven technology. Most of the floating concepts that are being tested are of the traditional type of horizontal-axis turbines mounted on some form of floating structure. There is much to suggest that vertical-axis wind turbines are more suitable for the marine environment than the traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines. The simplicity of the design and low centre of gravity are the great advantages. Few moving parts, which are easily accessible because they are located close to the water surface, lowering the total operation cost of the wind turbine. Service and maintenance costs are also minimised, which is a key consideration for wind turbine owners. SeaTwirl has built and launched a 30 kW prototype, SeaTwirl S1, which has proven to be very stable in operation withstanding major storms.
We now want to build a larger model, SeaTwirl S2, with an installed turbine capacity of 1 MW to demonstrate the concept and the advantages of a larger system.
SeaTwirl’s great advantages are its simple, robust and cost-effective design that also leads to lower service and maintenance costs compared with other traditional horizontal axis wind turbines. SeaTwirl will deliver a competitive solution for future sustainable power generation which is why we believe in a positive future for Sea Twirl.
Lower LCOE with SeaTwirl
Sandia Labs (a leading renewable energy research institute) has concluded that offshore vertical-axis wind turbines will have a 20% lower LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) than horizontal-axis wind turbines. This correlates well with LCOE estimates carried out for SeaTwirl, resulting in an average estimation of 21% lower LCOE. Read more here (info sheet from SeaTwirl, 2020).
Partners in the energy mix
There are competing solutions for green energy production. At SeaTwirl we move beyond diesel and a mix of energy sources seems to be the way of the future.
We are excited to see different types of renewables as complementary energy sources and possible partners, not as competitors. Adding a storage solution can also help forming a sustainable renewable energy system.