X1 Wind's X30 floating wind prototype now fully assembled in Canary Islands

Barcelona-based floating wind technology developer X1 Wind this week said its X30 prototype is now fully assembled in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands after the firm completed rotor assembly for the “downwind” floating platform.

Featuring a specially adapted V29 Vestas turbine, tripod-like platform, a 1:3 scale prototype, is ready for installation.

“Strong summer trade winds in Gran Canaria brought minor delays after the initial load-out, but this exciting period brings the assembly process to fruition,” said X1 Wind chief executive Alex Raventos. The company will conduct cable and anchor installations in the coming weeks before the platform is located at 50-metre (164 ft) deep waters for final commissioning, the CEO added.

The prototype is the result of the EUR-4-million (USD 4.6m) PivotBuoy Project awarded under the European Commission H2020 programme. The project is backed by EDP NEW, DNV, Intecsea Inc, ESM and Degima, and research centres WavEC, PLOCAN and DTU.

“Using a downwind configuration reduces the risk of tower strikes, opening up the possibility of using lighter, more flexible and therefore cheaper large-scale wind turbine designs,” commented co-founder Carlos Casanovas.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.160)

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