Floating HAWT LCOE

If this is confirmed several times, HAWT LCOE could be higher than expected.

If wear in the marine environment is unavoidable, the wing made of recyclable material could perhaps be an option, said wing being also able to be preserved from this environment by remaining constantly at high altitude …

A tweet of a picture by a layperson who’s against renewables shouldn’t infform ones views.
Couldn’t find the image source: https://www.google.com/search?hl=de&tbs=sbi:AMhZZiu8ebGns2js70ubves7VYSq7_1Qc-uLXwbIsA5NExMxter8Y2qhWg0nmnXMnwgPg4phvCICtfbaMT_1hO53Dz1pGkKWpjL_1urT-PgQcjZjgE-WOvJEtWA57v3D4vjYGgtdCq2jxOedkwWMcBhpGVF52TwOHkZT_1LbDJ4qS4LCxpApAOOsTWqVqyLEnI1Is7LUHGGcvdfGCOwTiQW3jlSqxSLdgluPm7E4coz-ui91T1xrNLNEKhY_1CC3vFMqD99ZE7nMHMkQW9Kw-Nuctr3acuSoWPJsKawrblm76FVnMV2uFowoXXCWHtttgbnVu35-pdXpnwkbuPircdooNnM8UsjWPzic4dg&ei=LiZmXtSmCI32kwXp2ZyQAg&start=10&sa=N&ved=2ahUKEwjU9dXgoo3oAhUN-6QKHeksByIQ8tMDegQIBxA7&biw=1920&bih=966

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Yes, it is the reason why I mentioned “If this is confirmed several times” which implies some verification comprising the photo and its authenticity. Nevertheless as floating HAWT is a young industry, the wear in maritime environment should be verified.

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I would imagine that leading edge erosion problems are exactly the same as those for the offshore HAWTS with rigid foundations which have been around long enough to provide reliable data. I am aware it is a problem but not as bad as indicated, 2 year service life sounds crazy. There is plenty of innovation happening right now to mitigate the effects of leading edge erosion like automated inspection and repair robots and systems as well as material developments. I would imagine that kite based systems will have there own leading edge erosion problems but determining which has the highest OPEX penalty is not going to be possible without a extended deployment of a offshore AWE system.

AWES could be favored as they flight at high altitude more away from the corrosive environment of the sea.

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That makes sense, but of course a wind turbine blade will not have the same mass restrictions as a kite so making leading edges more robust is more of a cost trade off.

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