Danes Take On Floating Foundations Challenge

DTU Wind Energy has teamed up with a number of Danish researchers and companies to optimise the design of floating wind turbine foundations under the FloatStep project.

The project has received DKK 15.8 million (EUR 2.1 million) in financing from the Danish Innovation Fond. Research is expected to lower the costs and ease the production of the platforms, also through adapting the wind turbines to them.

The partners of the project will develop and test new calculation models for designing the wind turbine floaters.

“The Danish wind sector was a pioneer for offshore wind energy and has all opportunities to take the lead on floating wind turbines as well. We will contribute to this in FloatStep,” said project manager Henrik Bredmose, who is a professor at DTU Wind Energy.

Rune Rubak, who is responsible for Loads and Control in Offshore Technology at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S, is part of the project.

“We want to strengthen our collaboration with the involved partners and sustain our position as leader within the area. This project can contribute to that,” Rubak said.

The researchers are amongst other things going to develop new engineering models for the calculation of how very powerful waves affect the floater and the moorings holding it in place.

The Danish TetraSpar floater developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technologies is included in FloatStep as an ongoing calculation example. Stiesdal contributes for example with data from the initial full-scale version of the floater.

“We look forward to validate and fine-tune our calculation models in a strong consortium counting both the industry and knowledge-intensive players. Through a combination of model tests, advanced calculations and analyses of full scale data, we will make it all the way around,” said Bredmose.