Aggreko investing in solutions to scale and galvanise offshore wind farms

Aggreko has outlined how it is bolstering support for offshore wind farms amid the growth headwinds constraining billions of dollars worth of projects. The energy solutions and temperature control specialist highlighted its investment in solutions designed to accelerate and scale development of projects while detailing the temporary solutions supporting efforts to bring wind farms online in good time.

Aggreko’s messaging comes after research from Zurich’s Climate Finance and Policy Group revealed the time it takes to commission green energy projects had ‘substantially’ increased over the last two decades.

Headwinds hampering green growth

Aggreko has supported the wind sector for more than 60 years through a dedicated Wind Energy Team, building “extensive knowledge and experience” in that time.

However, Ilyeass El Khattouti, Aggreko’s European Sector Leader for Utilities, says the sector now faces a catch-22, “with huge ambition, significant funding and resounding support for its rapid growth on one side, and a myriad of planning, production, environmental and supply chain challenges on the other”.

He said there were billions of pounds’ worth of green energy projects on hold due to grid connections constraints, with the prospect of detrimental impact on Europe’s climate targets.

Short-term route to unlock progress

El Khattouti said: “However, there are solutions that can accelerate the scalability and sustainability of offshore wind farms, and we’re investing in them.

“Hiring in short-term solutions is not a new concept, however we believe the application of short-term power and temperature control solutions is significantly under-utilised.”

The Aggreko executive cites “the most problematic project delays and risk we see in wind farm development” are often experienced during the transport, infrastructure construction and commissioning stages of a project.

“Temporary power and temperature control solutions can help in key areas, such as pitching turbine blades on the hub during ground assembly, protecting the nacelles during construction staging, or while in storage - as well as providing site power for construction equipment, building and cable laying,” explained El Khattouti.

Equipment to support energy transition

He continued: “We are also seeing more project managers come to us for critical technical and power support throughout the commissioning phase to ensure equipment is fully tested, efficient and reliable post installation.”

Aggreko low carbon intensity Stage V generators, loadbanks and batteries allow turbines to be commissioned before connecting to the power grid, meaning customers can begin production as soon as the substation is complete.

El Khattouti added: “Our world-class fleet is central to all of this and we’re putting significant investment into equipment, including lightweight, modular and low-emission generators, battery energy storage systems, oil-free air compressors, loadbanks, and alternative fuels.

“Ultimately, we want to help industry scale up while being early adopters of new technologies to support the energy transition.”