
Background
Offshore wind is established in Europe with a global potential to reach more than 100 GW by 2030. Of this, floating wind is estimated to constitute 10% of the market, in exploiting offshore sites where the available wind energy potential is up to four times higher than for fixed turbines. An anchoring system is easier to install and more flexible to geological natures than the foundation of fixed wind turbines.
So, floating offshore wind may rapidly become a competitive alternative, for which the mooring system is a critical component. Actual floating wind sites are exposed to harsh environment in moderate to shallow water depth where standard catenary mooring layout is not a suitable solution. More efficient restoring forces and dynamics damping are insured by a semi-taut mooring layout composed of synthetic ropes. In reducing up to two times the seabed footprint, polyamide rope is a highly promising solution.
Since the mooring line is an essential element of floating wind turbines, it is fundamental both to understand the long-term behavior of the components of these lines and to develop monitoring systems to monitor their behavior throughout their lives.
The MONAMOOR WP33 project funded by WEAMEC is conducted in collaboration with the MONAMOOR project within France Energies Marines.
Scientific advances and innovation
Within the MONAMOOR WP33 project, Université de Nantes is involved in the following tasks:
- feasibility of using the nylon fibers of the mooring line as an electromagnetic waveguide
- transmit information on the mooring line integrity
- quantify the total elongation of the anchor line
Expected technical and economic impact
Within the MONAMOOR WP33 project, a coherent patent cluster will be submitted for the development of a monitoring system for synthetic cables.
Key project milestones
- April 2020 - Start of the project
- April 2021 - End of the project