Floatgen, which will see a 2MW floating wind turbine deployed, will also aim at increasing the development potential of offshore deep-water wind projects and making better use of wind resources.
Apart from that, Floatgen’s objective is to confirm the strong potential for cutting down the costs of the electricity produced by the floating wind farms.
The floating wind turbine for the demo project will be installed at the SEM-REV test site, 19.3km from Le Croisic on the French Atlantic coast by the year end.
Made up of a floating foundation named as the Damping Pool, the floating turbine will have a 2MW Vestas V80 wind turbine fitted to it.
Ideol, which is the project coordinator of Floatgen, has developed and patented the floating foundation technology that will be managed by it alongside Centrale Nantes and Bouygues TP.
The 9.5mm concrete floating foundation of 36m width is being constructed by Bouygues in Saint-Nazaire. It will be equipped with the Damping Pool system.
The floating wind turbine will be linked to the anchoring system and the power export cable after the entire assembly is carried to the Centrale Nantes SEM-REV offshore test site. According to Centrale Nantes, the site is a research facility of international scope.
Floatgen will also involve the participation of University of Stuttgart, RSK Group, Zabala and FRAUNHOFER-IWES.
According to WindEurope, the number of offshore wind installations are now required to be increased to meet the renewable power generation goals set by the European Commission.
