ESB and Shannon Foynes Port have issued a funding collaboration for a floating offshore wind research study at MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate, and Marine at University College Cork (UCC).
Starting in September, the focus of the research will be to examine the requirements and identify potential sites for wet storage, which is the temporary offshore storage of floating offshore wind turbines in suitable areas prior to installation.
The EUR 250,000 research will take place over two phases.
The first phase will consist of understanding the key conditions and constraints associated with the development and identification of suitable wet storage sites, while phase two will focus on the technical challenges of designing sites in terms of the optimum layout and mooring configuration, said the companies.
According to the press release, the aim of the study is to identify and inform considerations for the future floating offshore wind industry that are required at an economic, environmental, societal, and policy level in Ireland and also, to set a benchmark for the best international practice through close academic and industry collaboration.
“We understand the importance that floating offshore wind projects are going to play in both Ireland achieving its ambitious renewable energy targets and ESB delivering on our commitment to reach net zero by 2040 ,” said Ronan O’Flynn , ESB Programme Director for Green Atlantic @ Moneypoint.
“Research such as this, carried out by our partners MaREI and supported by Shannon Foynes Port, will help the entire industry to better understand what is required for crucial wet storage facilities that will allow floating offshore wind projects to be delivered at scale.”
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MaREI will provide the research knowledge along with the various tools required for the study while ESB and Shannon Foynes Port will provide funding support and industry knowledge.
In May, ESB and Shannon Foynes Port entered into a collaboration to develop the region into a centre for the deployment of floating offshore wind projects in both Irish and international waters.
The two parties agreed to work together to maximise the potential of the Shannon Estuary, which features a mix of deepwater, development lands, low-lying shoreline, and proximity to wind resources off Ireland’s west coast.