Context

The EOLINK concept provides an innovative floating wind turbine design which aims to reduce the LCOE. The rotor nacelle assembly is sustained with both upwind and downwind thin arms, instead of a conventional single tower. This leads to better stress distribution, and less fatigue, which in turn decreases the mass of the floater. Operational expenditures are also lower thanks to a single point mooring system, which decouples maritime operations dedicated to mooring lines, power cables and floating turbine installation.

Objectives

• To prove experimentally the concept of passive orientation.
• To calibrate the numerical model using tank tests.
• To quantify the reduction of the LCOE related to this innovative design and control strategy.

Scientific and technical contents

• Study of the dynamic behaviour of a model in test tank.
• Calibration of the numerical model on the basis of the test results.
• Testing of innovative control strategies.

Partners and funding

This project was led by Eolink and France Energies Marines.

The total project budget was €209K.

This project receives/received funding from France Energies Marines and its members and partners, as well as French State funding managed by the National Research Agency under the Investments for the Future Programme (ANR-10-IEED-0006-06).

Photo credit: France Energies Marines