Marine renewable energy specialist Innosea has been engaged to join the EU-funded R&D consortium Floatfarm, which aims to develop the next generation of environmentally friendly floating wind farms using innovative technologies and sustainable solutions.

Jean-Christophe Gilloteaux, Head of R&D at Innosea, commented:
“As floating wind reaches new levels of maturity, Floatfarm represents the next chapter for the technology – bringing together leading companies to explore new ways to enhance energy production and drive cost savings in the design and implementation stages of floating wind. Both will accelerate technology adoption, which is crucial to fulfil climate goals.”

Floatfarm melds inventive designs with real-world testing in marine environments, experimental lab testing and modelling using numerical analysis tools.

The project seeks to achieve its objectives for improved floating wind performance, via three key actions:

To advance maturity and competitiveness of floating offshore wind through the introduction, development and experimental demonstration of a range of critical technologies in rotor design, mooring and anchoring, and wind farm control within a holistic optimization framework.
To provide a future platform for the integration and testing of advanced technologies within a representative marine environment through the construction of a 1:7 scale 15 MW floating offshore wind turbine.
To make floating offshore wind more sustainable and improve environmental and socioeconomic impacts by advancing acoustic models, interaction with ecosystem and sociological factors.
Innosea, based in Nantes, France, has joined the project with a remit to develop a dynamic cable optimisation tool that will automate the design process and investigate innovative novel configurations.

As part of its scope of work, Innosea will also investigate mooring systems including the use of peak load reduction devices, synthetic materials and different configurations. It will also support the renowned French engineering institute Ecole Centrale the Nantes in the design of a shared mooring system that will be tested in the school’s facilities.

The project has commenced and will last for four years.

Innosea is part of OWC – the global renewable energy consultants, specialising in the commercial development of renewable energy technologies onshore and offshore. Together with OWC, Innosea has a combined experience across more than 50 floating offshore wind projects.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: OWC