Iberdrola, Spanish renewable energy company has started work on the TLPWIND research and development project, which plans to cut installation times and costs for offshore wind in the UK.
A joint initiative between Scotland’s University of Strathclyde and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult of €1m budget will promote the offshore wind farms installation in areas with large water depths.
Under this project, the work consist of designing a floating wind turbine model and installation system, provided at several sites with water depth ranging between 60m and 100m.
In order to fix the foundations to seabed, to restrict the movement of the platform, tensioned cables will be used.
To reduce construction costs, dimensions and weight of the steel used in the platforms will be optimized.
Iberdrola has four years of offshore wind experience in Spain at Ocean Líder and Flottek R&D projects.
The TLPWIND initiative has been included in the Infrastructure for Offshore Renewables Collaborative R&D projects program co-funded by Innovate UK, which intends to optimize the offshore renewables sector supply chain by promoting R&D projects.
The new initiative is further proof of its commitment to offshore wind energy sector, in which it is developing major projects to construct new facilities mostly in the UK, Germany and France and working on improving its technology with R&D studies, said, Iberdrola.