X1 Wind receives EUR 4m for PivotBuoy floating wind solution

Barcelona-based startup X1 Wind has received EUR 4 million (USD 4.5m) in funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme to develop a novel single point mooring (SPM) system for floating wind farms.

X1 Wind said last week that alongside eight consortium partners it will deploy a prototype of its PivotBuoy platform at a test site at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). The project starts on April 1 and will conclude in 36 months. Its goal is to validate the benefits of the PivotBuoy system and other innovations aimed at reducing installation, operation and maintenance expenses. The plan is to open the door to achieving the cost of EUR 50/MWh in commercial-scale wind farms.

The PivotBuoy platform could operate in deeper waters compared to other floating solutions, thus reaching areas that were previously technically or commercially inaccessible. It combines the advantages of SPM systems with those of Tension-Leg Platform systems (TLP) and a more efficient downwind structural design. This could lead to a weight reduction in floating wind structures compared to current spar and semi-submersible systems, X1 Wind says.

If successful and proven, the PivotBuoy concept will be able to lower platform weight by up to 80% and cut the costs of floating offshore systems by 50%.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.12)

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