A floating wind platform has been successfully installed at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands of Spain, as reported by Interesting Engineering.
(Photo : SEBASTIEN SALOM GOMIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The first floating offshore wind turbine "floatgen" is pictured off La Turballe, western France on September 28 2018.
X1 Wind is the company behind the platform that took the opportunity to take advantage of the weather window to finish the installation process. Now that the installation is finished, the firm will start monitoring the platform in real-time with several sensors integrated within their in-house SCADA system.
The Floating Wind Platform
The wind platform is fitted with a Vestas V20 turbine and stationed at a 50 meter water depth in a downward configuration. With this, it ensures that the X1 Wind's technology is scalable. Therefore, it will allow the company to provide platforms for the 15MW scale turbines and beyond. In addition, this will allow for the deployment at extremely deep sites.
This also marks as a milestone for the company and the floating wind sector. The reason is that is a first to have a floating wind platform installed with a TLP mooring system that only requires small vessels. What makes this great is that it helps reduce costs and the impact on the seabed.
The data gathered from the X30 will contribute to de-risk the technology, improve design, and gain certification from commercial-scale platforms to prepare for the upcoming tenders in Spain and other countries globally.
Also recently, X1 was chosen by the European Commission to deliver the NextFloat project. The NextFloar project aims to accelerate industrial-scale floating wind with a mission to install the first commercial-scale platform in the South of France.
Once installation is completed, the new project will be tested in fully operational conditions until March 2023 while continuing to feed the electricity it generates to PLOCAN's smartgrid. To achieve this, X1 worked with other complanies and world-class research centers.
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Floating Offshore Wind Today
The floating wind sector has been gaining a lot of momentum over the recent years but there is still a long way to go. For example, the permitting process is still the main barrier today. The challenge is to get permits approved as the location of the installation is right in the middle of many marine protected areas.
The permitting process will become easier as the technology matures. It will be made more simpler as the technology becomes standardized and more efficient. It will also be made easier once a proven track record of the technology is established.
In addition, operational and maintenance costs will also play a significant role in the long run. As the sector matures, it is expected that lower maintenance costs will be achieved. This will only be achieved through the experience gained from the first projects. In addition, it will also be enhanced by the platforms that are able to operate in harsh environments.
For X1 Wind, the floating wind sector is still at its infancy. But the company is optimistic that the technology will continue to develop and bring the sector to a new level. There's a lot of interest in floating wind. But there is still a long way to go in its development.
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Written by April Fowell
