HIPRWIND

Title: High Power, high Reliability offshore wind technology

Summary: The aim of the HiPRwind project is to develop and test new solutions for very large offshore wind turbines at an industrial scale. The project addresses critical issues of offshore WT technology such as extreme reliability, remote maintenance and grid integration with particular emphasis on floating wind turbines, where weight and size limitations of onshore designs can be overcome.

HiPRWind will test a cost effective approach to floating offshore WTs at a 1:10 lower MW scale as a first of its kind worldwide. Innovative engineering methods, new rotor blade designs and built-in active control features will reduce the dynamic loads and thus weight and cost drastically compared to existing designs. It will overcome the gap in technology development between small scale tank testing and full scale offshore deployment. Thus HiPRwind will significantly reduce risk and cost of deep offshore technology commercialisation.

The HiPRwind project can make use of two existing offshore test areas, with a favourable permitting situation and suitable infrastructure such as the grid connection and monitoring facilities. In WP 1, a floating support structure and the moorings system will be designed and manufactured. WP 2 covers the operation of the research projects of the platform. Within WP 3 to 6, critical aspects of the floating wind turbine are investigated, such as the structure and its system dynamics, the controller, high reliability power electronics to be tested in the lab at a MultiWM scale, the condition and structural health monitoring systems and the rotor based on innovative blade designs and features. The results feed into WP 7 to identify and refine new concepts for very large offshore wind turbines.

The full impact of the project is ensured by a strong participation of leading industrial as well as R&D stakeholders from the offshore-maritime and the wind energy sector with a strong background in harsh environment industrial developments.

For more information, please visit EurOcean Knowledge Gate.