Levelized cost of energy for various floating offshore wind farm designs in the areas covered by the Spanish maritime spatial planning

B. Thomas, X. Costoya, M. deCastro, G. Iglesias and M. Gómez-Gesteira

Applied Energy, 2025, vol. 381, issue C, No S0306261924025492

Abstract: Spain took a significant step towards achieving its goal of installing 1 to 3 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2030, by implementing Maritime Spatial Planning encompassing 19 designated areas. Therefore, it is essential to calculate the Levelized Cost of Energy for strategically designed floating wind farms, taking into account the number and capacity of wind turbines. To find the most cost-effective offshore wind energy sites, the optimal combination of rated power and number of turbines was determined and compared across different locations. This analysis used downscaled wind data from the 6th phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project multi-model ensemble, covering the 2025–2049 period under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2–4.5 climate scenario, matching the expected lifespan of wind farms. The results show that the Levelized Cost of Energy is lower for farms with a higher number of wind turbines with increased rated power. The areas located in the Canary Islands exhibit the most economically advantageous prices overall, ranging from 100 to 135 €/MWh. Regions such as Galicia and Cataluña also present a high diversity in prices (105–160 €/MWh), while Andalucía shows moderate values (135–140 €/MWh).

Keywords: Levelized cost of energy; Floating offshore wind turbines; Offshore wind energy; Spanish maritime spatial planning; CMIP6 projections; WRF dynamical downscaling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125165

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