Technical and operational requirements for the integration of offshore charging infrastructure into an Offshore Sub-Station’s (OSS) electrical infrastructure

The installation of large battery systems on SOV's has gained significant attention in recent years with the idea of utilising battery charging opportunities at offshore charging stations to augment the use combustion engines to reduce the vessel's fuel consumption and associated emissions.

Further, this reduction in fuel use opens the door to implementing alternative low carbon fuels, which currently struggle to meet the range demands of such vessels on their own.

Offshore charging can increase the operational capabilities of alternative fuel SOVs and will allow for zero-emissions SOV's to become a reality.

Such an approach requires the use of offshore charging infrastructure (charging buoys or charging reels) which must be integrated into the offshore electrical infrastructure to provide power for charging the battery banks on the vessel.

This integration will likely occur at the Offshore Sub-Station (OSS), however given the power and voltage levels required to achieve this, the integration is not a straightforward process.

Understanding the technical requirements for integrating a charging system into the offshore electrical infrastructure and the impacts of this on the offshore electrical power system need to be understood.

It is proposed that a project aimed at considering the impacts of integrating the offshore charging system into the offshore electrical network be conducted with the aim of understanding the requirements that must be provided to the OSS to allow for this integration and allow successful charging of the SOV.

It is proposed that sensitivity analysis is conducted based on a number of factors, such as OOS power rating, voltage level and generation frequency, wind power generation level and distance of offshore charging buoy to the OSS.

This will provide a comprehensive understanding of the requirements an offshore wind farm developer must fulfil to enable connection of the offshore charging infrastructure into the OSS and wider offshore electrical infrastructure.

Further, the use of novel offshore charging infrastructure requires consideration of the operational procedures, training and novel hazards associated with it's operation.

These will each be addressed in the project work, advancing industries knowledge of this exciting technology and addressing the barriers that remain to deployment of offshore charging in UK waters.