On 6 November 2012, Prof. Grossmann had the opportunity to present GICON innovations in the renewable energy sector to the German Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier and to Andres Lämmel, member of German parliament representing Dresden. Prof. Grossmann was thus also able to report that a biogas plant designed by GICON utilizing the GICON Biogas Process in Richmond, BC, Canada was recognized by KPMG as one of the Top 100 most innovative urban infrastructure projects worldwide.
The focus of the presentation, however, was the introduction of the GICON Floating Offshore Foundation or SOF, a floating support structure for offshore wind turbines which GICON developed in cooperation with the University of Rostock and the Technical University of Freiberg.
In February 2012, such a structure was successfully tested at 1:25 scale. In early 2014, with the support of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the full-scale working model is to be constructed in the Baltic Sea, thus establishing GICON as one of the world’s leading companies in the development of floating offshore foundations.
The foundation is fully constructed on land, towed as a unit together with tower and turbine to the deployment location and then anchored in place. The special anchoring system provides the foundation with stability comparable to fixed foundations so that standard commercial offshore turbines can be deployed.
While the innovative foundation can contribute to solving ecological problems typical during the construction of offshore wind turbines, since sound-intensive piling is no longer needed, the SOF also represents a significant economic opportunity for the German offshore wind industry. This is evidenced not only in terms of steel fabrication but also as it relates to shipyards, as the foundation can also be towed to shore for the performance of service and maintenance.
Federal Environment Minister Altmaier and Representative Lämmel were impressed by the GICON engineering solution and wished GICON continued success toward realization of the working prototype and for the subsequent market launch.
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Press release, November 11, 2012; Image: GICON