Floating wind power in Norway - Analysis of opportunities and challenges

Sammanfattning: In the wake of alarming reports from IPCC, policy makers all over the world have recognized offshore wind power to become an essential contributor in the future renewable energy system and battling of climate change. However, many countries including Norway lack extensive areas of shallow water suitable for conventional offshore wind, hence an interest for deep offshore solutions has arisen. One of them was the first floating offshore wind turbine Hywind, installed outside the Norwegian coast in 2009. This master thesis was commissioned by DNV GL and was conducted at the division of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation at Lund Institute of Technology. The purpose of the thesis is to highlight the potential benefits and challenges for Norway with an increased commitment in offshore wind. This has been done by developing a case around a first potential test park for floating offshore wind in Norway and by conducting an interview study with involved Norwegian stakeholders. Today, no offshore wind projects are being developed in Norway due to the lack of economic incentives. Furthermore, the Nordic power system is heading towards an oversupply and with an almost CO2 – free power production in Norway, the motivation is limited. However, by engaging in offshore wind, Norway could use its extensive offshore expertise and address the worries and concerns connected to the expected reduced oil revenues. The company survey and case study carried out in this thesis show that the possibility of doing so is tremendous and could position Norway as a world leader within offshore renewables and at the same time diversify the economy by export of the offshore wind supply chain. Offshore wind in Norway will need the implementation of a strong subsidy scheme and a clear long-term national plan for offshore wind development in order to reduce the financial risks and attract investors.