Iberdrola, via its engineering and construction subsidiary, the Scottish University of Strathclyde and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult have started work on the TLPWIND project, an R&D initiative with a focus on the offshore wind power sector and a budget allocation in excess of €1 million.
The project will entail designing a floating wind turbine model and a system for installation, to be implemented on a subsequent basis at a number of sites chosen in advance, where water depth ranges between 60 and 100 metres.The foundations to be designed will be moored to the seabed using tensioned cables, which will in turn almost entirely restrict the movement of the platform on which the offshore wind turbine will be placed. The dimensions and weight of the steel used in these platforms will be optimised to the maximum. Using these foundations will mean that it will be possible to carry out most of the installation operations on land and then transfer the infrastructure out to sea. The initiative has been included in the Infrastructure for Offshore Renewables Collaborative R&D projects programme co-funded by Innovate UK.
