Oslo-headquartered lighting firm Glamox is lighting up a giant offshore platform that will convert electricity from a 900MW wind-power scheme in the North Sea some 100km off the German coast.
It鈥檚 for European grid operator TenneT鈥檚 DolWin5 wind-power project set to power more than a million households.
How it will work
Turbines at sea will send their three-phase alternating current (AC) electricity to the platform, named DolWin epsilon, which will convert it to a high-voltage direct current (HVDC).
From there, HVDC electricity will travel 100km by undersea cable to Hamswehrum in East Frisia.
Next, a 30km-long land cable takes it to a converter station in Emden, where it鈥檚 converted back into three-phase AC and fed into the extra-high voltage grid.
Getting ready to sail
DolWin epsilon is unmanned, but it will have accommodation for crews of up to 50 people conducting inspections and maintenance.
It will also have a helipad, crane, and a lifeboat.
A joint venture of Singapore鈥檚 Seatrium and Norway鈥檚 Aibel is building DolWin epsilon at Aibel鈥檚 yard in Haugesund, Norway.
Later this year, it will be moved into place in the North Sea.
Let there be light
Glamox provided 2,084 marine-grade luminaires for the platform鈥檚 living quarters and topside substation, plus the systems to remotely monitor and test emergency lighting through the platform鈥檚 SCADA system.
鈥淢ost of the time, this gigantic platform will be unoccupied, but the lighting is needed for remote inspection and for visiting crews and maintenance teams,鈥� Eirik Hagem, head of business development for Glamox鈥檚 Offshore Wind.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely costly to repair or swap out lighting when it鈥檚 offshore. Therefore, our certified marine luminaires must be long-lasting and able to cope with the harshest conditions of the North Sea. We know lives depend on it.鈥�
Glamox products include MAX ex zone 1 (explosion-proof) linear luminaires and tough MIR linear luminaires.
The installation also includes FL60 and FL70 marine floodlights, lighting for interior areas, E85-S escape route and anti-panic lights, and E20 exit/escapeway lighting.
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