Floating Wind Power Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Water Depth (Shallow Water {< 30m}, Transitional Water {30m-60m}, Deep Water {>60m}), By Capacity (Up to 3 MW, 3 MW to 5 MW, Above 5MW) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

The floating wind power market is driven by the increasing energy demand and adoption of renewables for energy production. Floating wind farms have already been proven beneficial in harsh environmental conditions and hold immense opportunities for harnessing a huge amount of power. Commercialization of floating wind farms is expected between 2020-2026 after full-scale prototypes have been in operation for several years now. This will drive the growth of the market in forthcoming years.

MARKET TRENDS

Offshore Wind Energy Targets to Attract Huge Investments

In aid of achieving green energy targets being set by countries, various countries are focusing specifically on floating offshore wind power. This is has led offshore wind to stand as a huge opportunity for every country having access to such wind farms. The recent target setup by countries, including the United Kingdom has set a target of 30GW offshore wind energy by the end of 2030. German Climate Cabinet has set the goal of installing 20GW of offshore wind power in the country by 2030, starting from 15GW in 2019. China has a target of achieving 30GW offshore wind energy by 2020 from 5GW installed capacity in 2015. 

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Operational Advantages Over Fixed Offshore Structure Will Drive the Market Growth

The adoption of floating wind power is expected to rise owing to its functional advantages over the fixed structure installations of wind farms. Floating wind farms are capable of being operational in harsh conditions and at locations that hold the strongest wind flow. This is attributed to the base structures which are more flexible and ease the process of turbine set up. Also, these installations offer environmental benefits as compared to fixed bottom structures owing to less invasive activity on the seabed during installation. It is one of the most vital floating wind power market trends that would fuel growth.

MARKET DRIVERS

Exponential Investment for Sustainable Energy Development to Boost Growth

The major factor driving floating wind power market growth is the exponential investments being made for the development of sustainable energy. The depleting trend of petroleum products has raised concerns regarding fulfilling the energy need of population growing at a healthy rate across the globe. This has compelled the government bodies to ensure secondary sources of energy, following which considerable research and development activities are being carried out.  

Further, floating offshore wind stands as the untapped source of energy that holds immense opportunities for every region. Also, offshore wind turbines rooted to the ground are limited to 50m depth due to monopile or jacket foundations. This rules out the installations in sites having the strongest winds and access to huge markets. In these situations, floating wind farms provide the solution for tapping of the wind energy by eliminating various constraints of depth and turbine setups.

Paradigm Shift Towards Renewable Power Generation to Augment Growth

The demand for curbing carbon emissions has forced countries to adopt renewable sources of energy. This has led to the adoption of solar and wind as two primary renewable energies. Success stories of onshore wind farms have opened doors for the offshore wind power industry that can harness a tremendous amount of wind energy, which goes wasted. This, in turn, has boosted the offshore floating wind energy market growth.

The shift towards floating wind farms has been witnessed in recent years as various installation techniques such as spar-buoy, spar-submersible, and tension leg platforms offer the advantage of operating in deep water, as well as harsh locations. These can be assembled onshore before installation at a given site. 

MARKET RESTRAINT

Substantially High Initial Investment May Obstruct Growth

The major factor that can hinder the market growth is the high initial investment. Owing to this, People would prefer other low-cost technologies for energy production rather than these power sources. The requirement of new grid infrastructure and setting up more distribution and transmission lines would add up to the cost. Also, the environmental barriers that can occur during the construction of offshore wind farms can hinder the growth of the market in the forthcoming years.  

SEGMENTATION

By Capacity Analysis

Above 5 MW Installations to Gain Momentum during the Forecast Period

Based on capacity, the market is classified into up to 3 MW, 3 MW- 5 MW, and above 5MW. In the present scenario, up to 3MW floating wind farms would occupy a major share in the market. But following the success of these, new wind farms sanctioned for construction are of a higher capacity, which will drive the growth of above 5MW floating wind farms. Also, wind farms having higher capacity justify the cost that has been incurred during the whole life cycle of the wind farm.    

By Water Depth Analysis

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Deep Water Projects to Account for Maximum Share

By water depth, the market segments include shallow water (< 30m), transitional water (30m-60m), and deep water (> 60m). Given the advantages of floating wind farm installation in deep water, the segment is anticipated to dominate the market during the given forecast period. The major advantages offered by the deep water installations include access to large areas with strong wind resources and proximity to population centers. Also, in some countries with a narrow continental shelf, floating foundations are the only opportunity for large scale deployment of the wind farms. 

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

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The findings based on our research indicate that the United Kingdom holds the largest floating offshore wind power market share in the current year. Being the market leader, the country has set offshore wind targets of achieving 40GW of offshore wind capacity by the end of 2030, which will attract a large number of investors. The United Kingdom also has the world's largest offshore floating wind farm (OWF) under construction and is expected to be in operation by 2020. The 50MW Kincardine offshore wind farm is located in Scotland, which is also home to the current biggest floating 30MW hywind floating wind farm. 

Following the United Kingdom, Japan, France, the U.S., and Sweden are some of the other countries that currently possess installed floating wind farms. Looking at the planned installation of floating wind power, other countries such as Germany, Spain, and South Korea are expected to emerge as influential stakeholders in the market during the given forecast period.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Siemens Gamesa Focuses on Strategic Acquisition of Service Assets and IP to Strengthen its Multibrand Offerings

• Siemens Gamesa acquired Senvion’s European Service assets and intellectual property (IP). This led to the addition of approximately 9 GW service fleet and operations in 13 countries. 


• The acquisition took place in January 2020 and marks an important step in the growth strategy for the company, as a part of its L3AD2020 strategic program. This certainly strengthens its competitive position in the market and its multi-brand portfolio.

List of the Key Companies Profiled:

• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. (Spain)


• MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (Denmark)


• Senvion S.A (Germany)


• Adwen GmbH (Germany)


• ABB (Switzerland)


• GE (U.S.)


• Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Co. (China)


• Nordex SE (Germany)


• GoldWind (China)


• Envision Energy (China)


• Suzlon Energy Limited (India)


• Hitachi (Japan)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• In November 2019 - A preferred supplier agreement for 300 MW Hai Long 2 offshore wind power plant project was signed between Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) and Hai Long Offshore Wind (Hai Long). The project is located 50 km off the coast of Changhua County. The project will utilize SGRE’s existing footprint and supply base in Taiwan in order to fulfill localization requirements on the project. Offshore construction for the project will begin in 2023.


• In November 2019 - MHI Vestas and Parkwind announced the signing of a conditional agreement signed for supplying a turbine for Arcadis Ost 1 in the German Baltic Sea. As a result of the challenging soil conditions at the Arcadis Ost 1 site, Parkwind, MHI Vestas, and Heerema marine contractors have jointly developed a floating installation method. As a result of a year-long collaborative process between the three partners, this innovative technology promises to contribute towards cost reduction and unlock the potential for many offshore areas around the world.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

As the power generation shifts from coal and petroleum products to renewables with an aim to curb carbon emissions, the market size of floating wind power will grow at a healthy rate. The offshore wind power industry is considered to have humongous potential to serve the energy needs of a large population. Following these, floating wind power projects are being planned in the coming years in many countries in Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. also has made rollouts for investments in offshore wind, which will drive floating OWF market revenue. 

REPORT COVERAGE

The report offers qualitative and quantitative insights on the global floating wind power and the detailed analysis of market size & growth rate for all possible segments in the market.

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The floating wind energy market report offers an elaborative analysis of numerous factors affecting the global floating wind power market. These include opportunities, growth drivers, threats, key developments, and restraints. In addition to this, it further helps in analyzing, segmenting, and defining the market based on different segments such as capacity and water depth. It analyzes several strategies such as product innovations, mergers, alliances, joint ventures, and acquisitions adopted by players present in the industry.

Report Scope & Segmentation