Offshore Wind Turbines and Methods for Deploying and Installing Same

A method for deploying and installing an offshore wind turbine, comprising:

• (a) transporting an offshore wind turbine to an offshore installation site, wherein the wind turbine includes:
• a ballast adjustable hull;
• a telescopic tower moveably coupled to the hull and retracted into a receptacle of the hull;
• an elevator disposed about the telescopic tower and movably coupled to the hull;
• a nacelle coupled to the tower;
• and
• a rotor assembly coupled to the nacelle;
• (b) floating the wind turbine over a desired installation location at the installation site after (a);
• (c) ballasting the hull to lower the wind turbine after (b);
• (d) coupling the hull to the sea floor after (c) to hold the wind turbine at the installation site;
• (e) erecting the telescopic tower after (c) and (d) by telescopically extending the tower from the receptacle of the hull.

A method for erecting a tower of an offshore wind turbine, the tower having a central axis and including a first tubular, a second tubular movably disposed about the first tubular, and a third tubular movably disposed about the second tubular, wherein the first tubular, the second tubular, and the third tubular are nested and concentrically arranged, the method comprising:

• (a) raising the first tubular axially relative to the second tubular and the third tubular with an elevator disposed about the tower;
• (b) axially extending the first tubular from the second tubular and the third tubular during (a);
• (c) locking the axial position of the first tubular relative to the second tubular after (b);
• (d) lowering the elevator relative to the first tubular, the second tubular, and the third tubular after (c) with the first tubular axially locked relative to the second tubular;
• (e) raising the second tubular and the first tubular with the elevator after (d) with the first tubular axially locked relative to the second tubular;
• (f) axially extending the second tubular from the third tubular during (e);
• (g) locking the axial position of the first tubular and the second tubular relative to the third tubular after (f);
• and
• (h) lowering the elevator relative to the first tubular, the second tubular, and the third tubular after (g) with the first tubular and the second tubular axially locked relative to the third tubular.