France’s first floating offshore wind turbine

Project

The prototype reaches a height of 22 m with a 7 m float. It is a 1:10 scale representation of a 12 MW floating wind turbine.

To ensure that the movements are representative of a full-scale 12 MW wind turbine, the turbine is custom-designed to limit its mass to 700 kg (700 tonnes at full scale). The blades weigh only 58 kg each, due to the use of carbon fibre. The generator is of the synchronous permanent magnet type used on offshore wind turbines. 3 electric motors regulate the pitch of the blades according to the control system designed entirely by Eolink.

The wind turbine was installed on 18 April 2018 at the Sainte-Anne du Portzic site in Brest. It is the first floating wind turbine to be connected to the grid in France.

Results

Adjusted to full scale, the prototype produces, as expected, 12 MW at a wind speed of 10.5 m/s. It can withstand gusts of wind equivalent to 269 km/h and waves of over 15 m peak to trough. The 34 on-board sensors recorded the floater movements and anchor tensions. The superior dynamics were confirmed, with a pitch of less than 0.3°/m and a maximum masthead acceleration of 0.25g. These experimental results are the subject of a scientific publication at the International Conference on Ocean, Offshore, and Arctic Engineering (OMAE).

This project is being carried out with the support of the Brittany Region and in partnership with IFREMER.