Renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy has been appointed by utility firm Huaneng Renewables Corp Ltd to assess the general site conditions of offshore wind projects in China.
The new research will be conducted in partnership with Beijing-based Tsinghua University.
The study will explore wake model parameters aiming to improve wake model performance during the pre-construction assessment phase of wind farm projects and examine site conditions and their impact on wind turbine performance and availability.
The results will allow developers to choose more suitable site locations and help improve overall performance.
SgurrEnergy, a Wood Group company, was appointed to Huaneng’s offshore wind research programme in December 2014.
The programme came as a result of a Chinese government drive to build technical knowledge in a number of key areas for the fast growing offshore wind market – including assessment of submarine topography and geological conditions, wind farm generator capacity and site accessibility issues.
SgurrEnergy’s James Wu, director of technical services in China, said: “Our work with Tsinghua University and Huaneng Renewables will offer new insight into an important area for offshore wind and we look forward to sharing the results of this study.”
Huaneng Renewables’ Dr Guo, project manager, said: “Offshore wind research is an exciting new area of study in China and we look forward to the findings, with the help of SgurrEnergy and Tsinghua University, which will increase industry knowledge considerably in China.”