IHC IQIP takes next step in development Blue Piling technology
IHC IQIP has committed itself to the future of the Offshore Wind market and is taking the next important step in the development of BLUE Piling Technology. The company is investing in this innovative technology that it believes has a big future. It has decided to join forces with Jasper Winkes, the developer of the hammer with the BLUE Piling Technology and director of Fistuca. This technology can be used to drive piles for offshore wind farms using hydropower rather than the traditional steel ram.
According to IHC IQIP, BLUE Piling is a logical step in the further development and growth of the Offshore Wind market.
- This involves the upscaling of the energy market to even larger turbines (from 8 to 10 and 12 megawatts) and greater water depths, which is leading to larger monopiles. These larger sizes require a new pile-driving technology. The BLUE Piling Technology not only enables larger monopiles to be installed, it also reduces fatigue in the pile.
- The BLUE Piling Technology significantly reduces noise by tackling the noise at the source so that noise reducing measures such as those used in other conventional pile-driving technologies are no longer necessary.
- Low-noise pile-driving also has less impact on the environment (mammals).
- The technology behind BLUE Piling complies with the ever stricter noise standards. Germany leads the way in this area, but in the years to come the standards will also apply in other waters.
"The further development of the BLUE Piling Technology is fully compatible with our core competence. The technology has huge potential and is a truly innovative addition to our range of products and services in this market. We can use it to really help our customers further develop the offshore market and ultimately reduce the price per megawatt. We’ll continue to develop the BLUE Piling Technology with Jasper Winkes and his team. We’re not just an investor, we want to contribute to this technology with our expertise and knowledge of the market," says Jan Albert Westerbeek, Executive Director of IHC IQIP.
Next generation
Tests with the hammer using BLUE Piling Technology have shown that the hydro-powered pile-driving technique is the future, but that some adjustments need to be made so that it can be used commercially in the market. IHC IQIP will start working with a modernised version of the BLUE Piling technology and expects to achieve positive results soon.
Maturing process
The developer of the BLUE Piling Technology, Jasper Winkes, says that the market has shown great interest in this technique. "I’m delighted we have the chance to bring this technology to maturity and in that way help make our energy production economically and ecologically sustainable. We can see excellent opportunities for joining forces and combining our innovative technology with the market-specific know-how of market leader IHC IQIP."
source: IHC IQIP; picture Jan Albert Westerbeek and Jasper Winkes
