Spanish engineering company Saitec plans to deploy a medium-scale prototype of its BlueSath floating offshore wind turbine concept off northern Spain in the first quarter of next year.
The one:sixth scale development will be installed at Abra of Sardinero off Santander for 12 months, after which it will be completely decommissioned.
Abra of Sardinero was chosen because of its meteoceanic conditions – wind, waves, currents and depth – that make it suitable to create a real scaled environment, the company said.
The prototype will feature a 30kW Aelos turbine with a 15-metre rotor diameter and 17.45-metre hub height.
It will be installed using Sath (Swinging Around Twin Hull) technology that has been validated in several water tank tests since 2014, Saitec said.
“The main objectives of the BlueSath project cover Sath platform validation of its response and dynamic behaviour,” the company said.
“The aim is to obtain models that allow for structural optimisation, enabling cost reduction and validating structural turbine integrity,” it added.
The prototype will also be used to determine the variables that better predict damage on different structural elements.
Logistics and transport challenges and risks will be monitored.
Saitec said the results will be used for a 2MW real-scale model to be installed on the Basque Marine Energy Platform in 2021.
Ultimately, the company aims for the floating technology to support 10MW hardware.
Saitec added that the project has significant local content, with several companies from Cantabria region taking part, including Santander Port, IHCantabria, Degima and Astander y Acorde.