X1 Wind prepares PivotBuoy floating wind platform for Canaries deployment

X1 Wind is preparing to deploy its PivotBuoy floating wind technology in the Canary Islands after successfully completing the assembly and load-out of a fully-functional prototype.

The prototype has been developed through the €4million PivotBuoy Project awarded by the European Commission H2020 Program.

It will be installed at the PLOCAN test site with full exposure to open ocean conditions in a bid to demonstrate the efficiency of the innovative structural design and mooring system.

The Pivotbuoy Project is aiming to substantially reduce the current Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) of floating wind by demonstrating the advantages of the PivotBuoy system, namely a reduced floater weight, a faster and cheaper installation process and a more reliable operation.

Fitted with a Vestas V29 turbine, the 1:3 scale prototype (X30) will be stationed at a 50m water depth through a single point mooring system in a downwind configuration – creating a ‘weathervaning’ solution which maximises use of passive systems.

Construction of the X30 Platform was completed last November by DEGIMA in Santander, before being shipped in different segments to Gran Canaria.

Structural assembly was managed entirely onshore at Hidramar Shipyard, Las Palmas, using regular LTM mobile cranes and local equipment.

Original Source: https://ocean-energyresources.com/2021/05/04/x1-wind-prepares-pivotbuoy-floating-wind-platform-for-canaries-deployment/