Principle Power has partnered with Irish company Technology From Ideas (TfI) for the development of shallow-water mooring components for floating offshore wind.
An international consortium led by Principle Power secured a contract by the U.S. National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) for the Demonstration of Shallow-Water Mooring Components for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (ShallowFloat) project.
ShallowFloat aims to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of soft mooring designs for floating offshore wind turbines by incorporating an innovative load reducing polymer spring in the mooring lines.
The spring technology developed by TfI is said to have the potential to reduce peak loads by more than 50%, enabling reduction in both size and required holding capacity of anchors.
As such, these polymer springs are expected to reduce installation vessel requirements, enabling drastic reductions in cost for floating wind station-keeping systems in shallow waters, Principle Power said.
Over the next 18 months, TfI will be demonstrating its technology in Scotland, France and now the U.S.
“As we see countries like Ireland target increasing volumes of offshore wind, there is a real opportunity to capture first mover advantages for both the country and the supply chain,” said Cian Conroy , Senior Business Development Manager – Europe, Principle Power.
“We are excited to be working with TfI. As we look to the growth of the floating offshore wind sector, deployment in shallow waters will play a major role in meeting targets and, for this, innovation in the mooring space will be key.”