DNV GL provides independent accredited certification services for the renewable energy industry, with a new office in the Northeast U.S. Learn more here.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), there is the potential to install 22,000 MW of offshore wind projects in the U.S. by 2030. Much of this activity is taking place in the Northeast, with Massachusetts and New York setting aggressive targets and leading the way in opening up the market for offshore wind.

For this reason, DNV GL selected its Medford, Mass. office as base for its U.S. Renewables Certification group, given its proximity to both Boston and New York City. The U.S. operations will be managed by David Maloney, who first served as Certified Verification Agent (CVA) on the Cape Wind Project in 2012.

“By establishing a presence for Renewables Certification in the U.S., DNV GL can be more responsive to the localized needs of the industry as it grows while drawing upon our 30 years of experience in offshore wind globally,” said Kim Mørk, Executive Vice president, Renewables Certification at DNV GL Energy.

Much of the potential development of offshore wind lies in federal waters, which requires third party certification for the design, manufacturing and installation of the entire facility, so the demand for CVA services is rapidly growing as project development moves ahead.

DNV GL has more than 30 years of experience in certifying offshore wind globally and has been involved in past U.S. projects through its Renewable Certification offices in Europe. With its certification services DNV GL creates confidence among all project stakeholders in terms of reliable quality, stable operation and proper risk management of wind farms.

“As the world transitions to generating electricity primarily through renewable resources, offshore wind will become a crucial part of that mix, and the opportunities available in the northeast region of the U.S. are many and growing,” added Mørk.

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The new report, “Digitalization and the Future of Energy” is available to download here.

The survey of nearly 2000 senior stakeholders across the energy industry found that with renewables projects increasingly exposed to the full volatility of the market by the phasing out of subsidies; financiers and developers are increasingly turning to digital technologies to better inform their assessment of the value and risk associated with projects, with technologies — such as big data analytics being used to provide insight into optimized forecasting of asset performance, lifetime, and generation levels.

“Digital technology and digitalization are instrumental to ensure the returns that will drive continued investment in renewable energy, as market mechanisms evolve away from subsidies,” said Lucy Craig, VP of Technology and Innovation at DNV GL – Energy. “But for investors to make their financing decisions with confidence, the finance industry needs to better understand both the risk and opportunity of new technologies and their long-term viability.”

The survey also highlighted the impact of blockchain, with 30% of finance respondents claiming that the technology is having an impact on their industry vs just 15% across all energy respondents. However, despite the hype around blockchain, 40% of finance industry respondents said they were not using the technology at all.

A general reluctance to take advantage of new digital technologies is born out of a lack of clear revenue streams coming from the digital world with uncertainty about clear revenue which could be generated in the future.

A lack of senior level buy-in, and a lack of digital mindset was also highlighted in the survey as a bigger barrier to digitalization in the finance industry compared to other sectors in the energy industry.

While the benefits of digitalization for the finance industry are growing, the unproven nature of new technologies and how to use them, coupled with a lack of digital mindset means the finance industry leaves itself open to disruption by new market players.

“By combining an open-minded approach to new technologies and an understanding of risk, the industry can take full advantage of the opportunities that digitalization brings, for a profitable future,” added Craig.

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DNV GL is launching a new Joint Industry Project aimed at cutting wind energy costs through LIDAR measurements. (Image: DNV GL)

Measuring meteorological conditions, such as wind speed and TI, is essential for assessing and verifying the feasibility of new wind energy projects. For example, the data is used in the assessment of the wind resources at potential sites as well as to validate both turbine loads and power performance that are required for type certification of new wind turbines.

Currently, industry standards from DNV GL and the IEC specify that these measurements must be made using so-called meteorological masts (met masts) – tall towers equipped with cup and sonic anemometers. However, installing met masts is very costly, particularly on offshore sites.

Recent advances in LIDAR technology offer a new way to carry out the meteorological measurements needed for turbine certification and site assessment at a much lower cost. The use of floating LIDARs also makes it possible to carry out measurements in previously inaccessible locations such as deep-water sites and enable more accurate energy yield assessment. As a result, LIDAR has the potential to help deliver significantly cheaper wind energy – both onshore and offshore.

Consequently, LIDAR is becoming the preferred technology for wind resource measurements, and various methods for deriving TI information from LIDAR measurements have been proposed in research settings. However, none of these methods has yet been verified and adopted within international standards, therefore, LIDAR measurements are not widely accepted by certification bodies, insurers, or authorities.

By creating a Recommended Practice for LIDAR that is supported by players throughout the industry, the DNV GL-driven JIP aims to drive acceptance of LIDAR measurements and help reduce costs for turbine OEMs and wind project developers.

“Launching this Joint Industry Project is an important step in making LIDAR-measured Turbulence Intensity certifiable and accepted by different wind energy stakeholders,” says Kim Mørk, Executive Vice President Renewables Certification at DNV GL. “As a certification body, it is our goal to support the wind industry in enabling cost-effective and reliable measurement of TI based on LIDAR data. The positive feedback we have already received from potential partners shows the strong desire within the industry for a new guideline.”

The JIP is intended for turbine and LIDAR manufacturers, wind farm developers, universities and research facilities, consultants and measurement institutes that are looking for guidelines to use LIDAR TI measurements for different applications. The call for partner’s phase is now open.

Organizations interested in joining should contact project managers Nikolai Hille and Frank Scheurich at DNV GL, Renewables Certification.

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