Technical Challenges and Benefits of Integrating Atlantic Salmon Production in Floating Offshore Wind Farms

Abstract

Multi-use of offshore platforms is a long-term research challenge which aims to combine food and energy production at sea. Research in this field is in its infancy, literature is scarce and without much cross-referencing. The aim of this thesis has been to develop a coherent set of recommendations for the further development of multi-use platforms, specifically for offshore floating wind energy and salmon aquaculture. A design-oriented approach has been adopted to generate insights regarding multi-use plat- forms. New multi-use concepts were generated and presented, illustrating what a future multi-use farm could look like. Simultaneously, a rigorous decision-making framework was set-up aimed at identifying superior concepts, while systematically producing insights by making explicit the trade-offs which govern the decision. A most preferred concept has been selected and evaluated in more detail, focussing on the identification of engineering challenges and cost-reduction opportunities through comparison of the multi-use concept with stand-alone references. Except for one item, no major technical barriers for the further development of multi-use platforms were identified, given that the challenges associated to the stand-alone activities can be met. This item is the expectation that mooring loads will largely increase by integrating fixed-netting structures in wind energy platforms. A small set of cost-reduction opportunities was discovered, as well as threats to the economic viability. Evaluation of the cost-reduction potential nuanced the view that large opportunities exist in mooring design and shared O&M vessels and demonstrated that the multi-use concept can also lead to additional costs. Most importantly, further study into the availability of optimal sites for multi-use is recommended, because it can be expected that sites optimal for wind energy may be sub-optimal for the production of Atlantic Salmon.