The GICON® SOF floating offshore foundation is an exceptional innovation and provides new opportunities for offshore wind park development.
Final wind and wave tank tests were conducted at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) from June 17th to June 24th, 2013, to confirm the final design prior to construction of a full-scale prototype which is planned for deployment in the German Baltic Sea during 2014.
The experimental tank tests results confirmed usability and operational capabilities as expected. The system showed high stability levels in line with prior simulations and calculations. The tests confirmed the structure’s low acceleration levels which are comparable to conventional fixed offshore foundations. This high stability also represents a significant difference compared to other floating offshore foundations. The measured performance results confirm the viability of the design and are another major milestone for the deployment of a full-scale prototype in 2014.
The GICON® SOF floating offshore foundation is an innovative technology with pivotal advantages compared to conventional offshore foundations. The GICON® SOF is deployable in water depths from 20 to 700 meters. Another key advantage is the ability to tow the SOF with turbine to the deployment site where it can be installed without special installation jack-up vessels and thus nearly weather independent. Compared to other floating foundation technologies, the GICON® SOF is the only solution with stability comparable to conventional offshore foundations; there is no pitch and toss which would create additional demands on the turbine.
[mappress]
Press release, June 26, 2013; Image: GICON