Project description DEENESFRITPL Lightweight, high-performance offshore wind platforms that self-orient Europe has tremendous potential for generating a large amount of its electricity from offshore wind farms. Exploiting that potential will require a significant decrease in costs, and one of the most effective ways to address this is through already existing platforms. Most are adapted from onshore counterparts, meaning weight was not a consideration either for building or for installing. The Spanish SME Exponential Renewables has developed a floating system with single point mooring, enabling it to act like a weathervane. The new system automatically orients to the best position and eliminates the very heavy equipment previously used for orientation, slashing weight and maintenance costs. The EU-funded X1 Wind project is paving the way to commercialisation. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective X1 Wind is developing a disruptive floating wind system with the potential to make a step change in the sector.Europe’s best wind energy resources are located offshore in deep waters with an estimated potential of 4.000GW. This is why the European Commission has identified the development of floating substructures for deeper waters as one of the key strategic targets in the SET-Plan Declaration. However there are several challenges to be overcome, mainly related to the need to reduce its costs: current solutions use “marinized” traditional turbines mounted on the top of existing Oil&Gas platforms resulting in very heavy structures and requiring large and expensive vessels to be installed.Unlike other floating designs, X1 Wind has redesigned an integrated solution which takes advantage of its floatability instead of working against it. By using a downwind configuration and a single point mooring system, we allow the floating platforms to weathervane, self-orientating itself with the wind. By doing this we can remove the active yaw system, the ballast system and the tower which are no longer required, reducing the platform weight by 80% and the maintenance required. The impact is a 50% reduction of the cost of energy. The concept is the result of more than 20 years of combined experience and learning of its founding team in offshore renewables, who have worked in some of the leading companies in the sector. Since its creation in 2017, this innovative SME has received international recognition with the Cleantech Camp prize and the selection into Singularity University Incubator’s program (in NASA Ames research Centre in Silicon Valley). We have also received letters of interest of two leading European utilities (Gas Natural Fenosa and EDP Renewables) and turbine manufacturer Alstom Wind / GE and we are collaborating with of the most experienced R&D centre in the sector (WavEC, Plocan and DTU) to bring our technology to the market. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energywind power Programme(s) H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs Main Programme H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies Topic(s) EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 - SME instrument Call for proposal H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1 Funding Scheme SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1 Coordinator EXPONENTIAL RENEWABLES SL Net EU contribution € 50 000,00 Address AV PEDRALBES 18 3-1-B 08034 Barcelona Spain See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Este Cataluña Barcelona Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 71 429,00
