The Position and Role of Wind Condition Surveys in the Offshore Wind Power Market

ReraTech, a wind condition consulting company, provides wind condition survey services through wind observation, simulation and analysis for wind power generation, with the aim of predicting power generation and evaluating wind conditions necessary for wind turbine design.

This time, we will introduce the relationships between businesses involved in offshore wind power generation and the position and role of wind condition surveys within that relationship.

Until offshore wind power generation is put into practical use

In order to expand the offshore wind power generation business in Japan, the Act on Promotion of Use of Sea Areas for Development of Marine Renewable Energy Power Generation Facilities (Renewable Energy Sea Area Utilization Act) came into effect in April 2019. This law was enacted because it became necessary to establish rules for the use of sea areas for offshore wind power generation.

However, after the implementation of the Renewable Energy Act, in the formation of offshore wind power projects, multiple operators conducted overlapping preliminary surveys in the same sea area, which resulted in inefficient situations and issues such as burdens on local fisheries such as adjusting fishing operations. Similarly, in wind condition surveys, multiple wind condition observations were conducted simultaneously in the same sea area.

To address these issues, progress is currently being made in designing a system to establish a "Japanese version of the central approach," which would see the government take an active role from the early stages of project formation and conduct investigations and other work more quickly and efficiently.

The Japanese version of the central approach is a method in which government agencies take the lead in matters related to "designating the project implementation area and publicly soliciting power generation companies," "regional coordination for project formation," "site surveys (wind conditions, offshore soil conditions, meteorological and hydrographic conditions)," "ensuring grid connections," and "environmental considerations."

Legal changes in 2022As part of the Japanese version of the central system, pre-verification by the Japan Energy and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) is now possible.

The current development process for offshore wind power generation projects is as follows:

1. Information provided by prefectures
2. Establishment of a statutory council and discussions, or wind condition and seabed surveys by the government and JOGMEC
3. Designation of promotional areas
4. Public invitation and selection of power generation companies
5. Various investigations and approval procedures by power generation companies
6. Design and Construction
7. Maintenance and operation　

Wind condition surveys are mainly carried out at the stages above, "2. Wind condition and seabed ground surveys by the national government and JOGMEC" and "5. Various surveys and licensing procedures by power generation companies."

Power generation projects will move on to the actual design and construction phase after conducting surveys such as wind condition surveys and soil surveys, as well as investigating the impact on the natural environment and holding discussions with local governments and residents of the proposed construction site.

Position and role of wind condition surveys

The main players in the wind power market can be seen as follows:

Power generation companies are the developers of wind farms and will proceed with the project in cooperation with a variety of other players.

In the process of implementing wind farms in society, consulting companies not only provide various advice on wind power generation, but also support technical aspects. Specifically, they act as a "third-party organization" between power generation companies and wind turbine manufacturers/lenders, etc., and provide neutral evaluations based on research, and carry out "owner's engineering" to support the design, construction, and operation preparation of power generation facilities that power generation companies should be responsible for.

Among these, Relatec provides consulting and research services in the field of wind condition surveys. The main clients of the service are domestic and overseas wind power generation operators, financial institutions, and other lenders. Other clients include environmental and construction consulting companies that do not specialize in wind condition surveys, and foreign-affiliated companies that do not have technical resources in Japan, most of which act as prime contractors for power generation operators, research institutes, and national projects for research, development, and survey projects.

As of 2018, approximately 7% of all power generation businesses in Japan were specialized companies, including specialized developers, and power companies and other electric power companies.

In recent years, many new companies have entered the growing Japanese offshore wind market, with trading companies and foreign-affiliated companies being particularly active. As the total project costs for offshore wind power generation projects are very high, the stakeholders often include overseas companies, and it is necessary to meet both domestic and overseas standards. On the other hand, there is also a trend to place importance on financial strength when entering the offshore wind power generation business, and there are concerns that "selection and consolidation" will lead to oligopoly, especially among power generation players.

For these customers, wind condition surveys are conducted to consider wind turbine design (wind condition evaluation) and evaluate business feasibility (power generation prediction), and play a key role in making decisions such as selecting wind turbines and whether or not to proceed with a power generation project.

The diagram below shows the cost structure for each phase of an offshore wind power generation project, with wind condition surveys falling into the "research and development" phase, which is carried out first.

Once an offshore wind power plant begins operation, O&M (operation and maintenance) plays a vital role in ensuring the safe continuation of the business.

Previously, Relatec visited the "FOM ACADEMY," a wind power generation training facility open to the public with the aim of training equipment maintenance technicians. For details,Interview Article

To promote Japan's offshore wind power generation business

In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, offshore wind power is seen as a trump card for making renewable energy the main source of power.

Japan has set a target of creating 2030 GW of projects by 10 and 2040 GW to 30 GW by 45. To achieve this, it is essential to promote projects under the Marine Renewable Energy Utilization Act, which covers territorial waters and inland waters, as well as to utilize Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In March 2024, a bill to amend the Act on Promotion of Marine Area Utilization for the Development of Marine Renewable Energy Power Generation Facilities was approved by the Cabinet and submitted to the Diet. If this bill comes into force, it will become possible to develop renewable energy power generation projects in the EEZ.

Furthermore, in order to promote the formation of offshore wind power generation projects, from the perspective of preserving the marine environment, etc., the Minister of the Environment will conduct surveys when designating promotion areas in territorial waters and inland waters and areas seeking EEZs, and special measures will be created that do not apply procedures equivalent to those in the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.

The development of offshore wind power generation in the EEZ will mainly involve floating offshore wind power generation, but there are many technical challenges in terms of wind condition surveys. Improving the technology for such offshore wind condition surveys is very important for the development of the offshore wind power generation market, as it not only increases the accuracy of observations but also leads to lower costs for the entire survey.

Increasing need for third-party evaluation reports on observation equipment

From 2024, Kobe University will operate Japan's first public test site, "Mutsu Ogawara Offshore Wind Observation Test SiteAt the same time, Relatec established the test site management company together with the Japan Weather Association, Kitanihon Kaiji Kogyo Co., Ltd., and Kobe University Innovation Co., Ltd.Mutsu Ogawara Marine and Meteorological Observation Center (MOC)Co-founded the company.

This test site will be used for research and development related to the accuracy verification of scanning lidar and floating lidar used for offshore wind observation.NEDO Offshore Wind Observation GuidebookThe figure below shows an example of research conducted at this test site, where the accuracy of wind speed measurements by multiple floating lidars was verified.

In the initial operation, the data observed at the test site was provided to the site users at the end of the observation period for their measuring instruments, and the users themselves carried out comparative verification. However, from the feedback of the actual users, many of them requested the issuance of a third-party evaluation accuracy verification report showing whether the measuring instruments of the users were sufficiently accurate, and needs began to change.

The creation of accuracy verification reports by a third party is part of the European culture, which is a leading region in the introduction of offshore wind power generation. For the lenders and certification bodies to which the reports are submitted, it is important to know "which expert evaluated the accuracy."

In light of this trend, wind condition consulting is being called upon not only to innovate wind condition survey technology but also to respond quickly and flexibly to the needs of those involved in order to promote the introduction of offshore wind power generation in Japan.

In the future, various attempts will be made with a sense of speed in the offshore wind power market toward achieving carbon neutrality. Leveraging its academic background, ReraTech will contribute to Japan's offshore wind power generation through wind condition observation together with all related parties.

◼︎Reference
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