The North Seas Standard

The North Seas Standard

NedZero proposes the following specifications for the North Seas Standard:
· Maximum tip height: 300 meters | 305 meters above mean sea level (MSL)
· Minimum tip distance: 25 meters above sea level
· Minimum installed capacity per foundation: 14 MW
· The term for which these limits are set is 10 years:
- From: Registrations from today (IJVER Alpha and Beta).
- Until: Wind farms built and put into operation up to and including 2037.
· Evaluate in 2028, 10 years before a new period begins.

Maximum tip height: 300 meters | 305 meters
NedZero has chosen to maintain the existing maximum tip height, on the understanding that the existing tip distance of 25 meters remains in force.

· 1,000 feet is a limit known internationally from aviation. It increases the chance that this limit will be declared applicable to the entire North Sea.
· The latest generation of installation vessels (currently under construction) can install turbines up to this limit. This increases the chance of achieving the climate objectives, because the necessary installation vessels are already available and there is no need to develop entirely new installation vessels – a process that usually takes 5 to 7 years.
· With this standard we strive to create a high volume, high quality market. For the next generation of wind turbines, made for 2037 and beyond, innovation to develop taller wind turbines must continue. We propose a 2050 roadmap, incorporating the North Seas Standard, with longer-term ambition levels for wind turbines.

Minimum tip distance: 25 meters
NedZero has chosen to maintain the existing minimum tip distance of 25 meters.

· A lower tip clearance is not desirable, both from a safety point of view (water sports) and because of the impact on birds.
· Increasing the tip clearance – in combination with a fixed upper limit – carries the risk that no wind turbines will become available for the Dutch market. It also has a negative effect on the maximum achievable production of sustainable electricity per location due to a smaller rotor surface. Increasing tip clearance means that more turbines may ultimately need to be installed to achieve production goals.
· Increasing the hub height leads to greater forces on the tower and foundation, resulting in heavier monopiles and more steel. This has negative consequences for marine mammals, the business case and the logistics chain.
· Increasing the tip distance has a positive, but still unknown, effect on bird mortality. It is advisable to determine in close consultation with bird protection experts how the impact on birds can be structurally reduced.

Minimum installed capacity per foundation: 14 MW

Standardization starts with the search for the most efficient design, based on factors such as life cycle costs, ecological impact and the supply chain. To prevent the lower limit from shifting with each wind tender, we propose to also establish a fixed lower limit per foundation: 14 MW. This is in line with the technology that currently supports the supply chain and can be installed on current ships. It prevents excessive pile driving of monopiles and limits unnecessary disturbance of marine mammals. It is also important in relation to the number of turbine positions (more wind turbines means more positions).

It has been decided not to include an additional limit for the minimum rotor diameter. This is to give the supply chain as much room as possible for innovation and to maintain a healthy business case. The IJVER NRD assumes 15 MW turbines. This means we cannot use the current generation of turbines, but it is also desirable not to rule out the current generation in advance. In this way, the further development of existing turbine platforms can start immediately, with all the associated benefits. This gives developers the choice between the current generation of turbines and new generations up to approximately 20MW that fall within the standard.