accelerating DC DYNAMIC cable technology for sustainable european electricity grid

Offshore wind generation is critical to realizing the European Green Deal and the broader EU ambition to reach climate-neutrality by 2050.

A third of all the offshore capacity installed could be floating since this technology unlocks wind potential in deeper waters at greater distances offshore.

Technological trends have advanced towards high-voltage direct current (HVDC) as a mature solution over long-distance transmission. Dynamic export cables float in the water and carry power from the moving platform to the grid. A key challenge is these cables need to accommodate combined electro-mechanical-thermal stresses.

No HVDC dynamic export cables currently exist and industry views this as a critical bottleneck for floating offshore wind development.

Therefore, this is a key enabling technology for secure grid integration of large-scale and long-distance floating offshore wind power plants.HVDC dynamic cables for floating offshore applications present unique challenges and risks from technical, environmental, operational, and economical perspectives.

To address these complex inter-disciplinary issues, this project brings together a consortium from academic experts, manufacturers, users, and insurance advisors.

The project will: (i) validate the insulation reliability of a new dynamic HVDC export cable, (ii) establish fundamental understanding of combined electro-mechanical-thermal aging mechanisms, facilitating the development of test protocols that qualify and verify the integrity of HVDC dynamic cables, (iii) identify routes for material sustainability for the cable to meet the EU’s circular economy ambitions, and (iv) use the underpinning technical knowledge gained to reduce risk and build confidence for deploying the new cable technology and thus enhancing the insurability and financial viability of future floating offshore infrastructure.

As a result, a prototype 320 kV dynamic HVDC export cable core will be designed, manufactured, and validated in this project.