Disruptive technology for cost-effective and reliable Floating Wind

Project Information

X1 Wind

Grant agreement ID: 817421

DOI

10.3030/817421

Project closed

EC signature date 24 April 2018

Start date 1 May 2018

End date 31 October 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

EXPONENTIAL RENEWABLES SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - X1 Wind (Disruptive technology for cost-effective and reliable Floating Wind)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2018-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

As shallow waters sites are becoming scarce, offshore wind projects are moving to deeper waters where the largest wind potential is located (4.000 GW in Europe). There are a number of floating concepts under development but the problem is that current solutions have adapted Oil&Gas platform designs which are too heavy and expensive for the competitive electricity market.
X1 wind has redesigned floating wind platforms to dramatically cut 80% the weight of current floating systems, with a platform weight of only 260 t/MW, similar to fixed foundations, but easier to install using small local vessels.
X1 wind disruptive solution can potentially enable a reduction of the cost of energy (LCOE) of floating wind by 50% in the short term and reaching 5c€/kwh in the long term, well below the European SET-Plan target for deep water offshore of 9c€/kWh by 2030.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The technical and economic feasibility of this innovative solution has been validated. The tasks carried out during included the design and optimization of the 5MW platform as well as upscaling into a preliminary 10MW platform design. The tasks also included the preparation of advanced tank tests to be carried out in February 2019 as well as for testing a part-scale prototype at sea in 2020.
During the action several meetings took place with key stakeholders obtaining the interest from leading utilities, OEMs and other relevant players, as well as participating and presenting in international conferences and events. This has allowed the company to assess different business strategies and have a better understanding of the value chain.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

X1 Wind innovative proposes a new solution beyond the current state of the art. It combines the advantage of TLP (tension-leg platforms), with the benefits of semi-submersible systems, resulting in a lighter and simpler design, using only passive orientation systems, which can be assembled onshore and installed with small vessels, modular and highly scalable.
This cost-effective technology can contribute to the decarbonization of the energy mix untapping a huge source of clean, affordable electricity but also reducing the environmental footprint on the seabed by deploying a single mooring layout. The project can also contribute to the development of local economies such as naval industries and communities in coastal areas with the local manufacturing, assembly and operation of future offshore farms.

X1 Wind disruptive floating wind solution