DNV AiP Moves Windcatcher Tech Closer to Commercial Demonstration

July 23, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Norway’s Wind Catching Systems (WCS) has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV for its 40 MW Windcatcher design, which the company says is an important milestone on the route to commercial demonstration of its Windcatcher technology.

The objective of an AiP is to perform a third-party technical evaluation of a design to assess whether there are any conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. As such, a successful AiP indicates the likelihood of the design meeting applicable rule criteria for future DNV classification, according to WCS.

The technical development work leading up to the AiP has been a joint effort with partners Aibel and Arup, said the Norwegian company, who have supported with in-depth knowledge and experience in advanced simulations and design of offshore structures.

The work has covered a range of engineering disciplines including structural and marine design, stability and hydrodynamics, mooring system arrangement, layout and technical safety, and transport and installation.

As a supplement to the engineering work, a physical model test campaign was performed at Stadt Towing Tank in Måløy, Norway. The purpose of the campaign was to better understand how the Windcatcher performs in various wave conditions, and further use this insight to validate and calibrate our analysis models and assumptions, said WCS.

The 40 MW design that has now achieved the AiP will be the first out of four expected units in the project.

The company, through its subsidiary Wind Catching Demo AS, has started the process towards a licence for a demonstrator project off the coast of Øygarden.

The Windcatcher technology, officially unveiled in 2021, utilises smaller turbines and allows for on-site replacement without specialised equipment. The novel floating wind system is said to have a design life of 50 years and is projected to cut acreage use by more than 80 per cent, according to its developer.

In October 2022, WCS received a technology development grant from government enterprise Enova to support the design, construction and testing of a wind turbine for its floating multi-turbine structure, and was granted further support from Enova last year.

Awarded at the beginning of 2023, the funds were granted for pre-project work to support the initial implementation of a full-scale Windcatcher. Through the pre-project, Wind Catching Systems aims to mature and validate the technology and cost estimates for the full-scale floating wind system.

In March 2024, the company contracted its compatriot Axess Technology for a concept engineering study of the turbine handling system, an integrated feature of the Windcatcher that enables wind turbine repairs and component exchange without the need to tow the floater to a port.