Saitec Engineering has been awarded funding to bring its SATH floating wind technology to market.
The European Commission’s €2.4m finance for the SATHScale project will allow Saitec to scale up its prototype from the technology validation and demonstration in a relevant environment to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
To do this, Saitec will be exploiting real experiences of the ongoing open-sea 2MW demonstrator (pictured) that will be deployed at BiMEP (Biscay Marine Energy Platform) in Biscay, Spain.
Getting feedback from real experience data and then checking this against the values obtained through conservative calculation will provide relevant information to be applied in the following design processes, it said.
Saitec head of R&D Carlos Garrido-Mendoza said: “SATHScale is an important project for Saitec with a view of industrialize, internationalize and scaling-up SATH technology.
“SATHScale will help us to move forward to the required commercial maturity level through an open-sea experience, which is essential to fully understand the challenges in device performance, survivability and reliability prior to market take-up.”
SATHScale will focus on the development of an industrialized fabrication system for mass production, covering the manufacturing process, transportation, installation, commissioning, O&M and dismantling of the floating wind platform.
Portable manufacturing will allow use of local labour to enhance the local supply chain, the firm added.