Floating offshore wind gains scale-up momentum at WindEurope

Floating wind has moved beyond proving that the technology works. The next challenge is scale. This was the central message emerging from a joint side event at the WindEurope Annual Event, where TAILWIND joined European sister projects FLOATFARM, INF4INiTY and MADE4WIND to discuss how offshore wind research can bring floating wind technologies closer to large-scale industrial deployment.

The side event opened with presentations from the four European research projects, each introducing its objectives, technical focus and expected contribution to the future of offshore wind energy. Although the projects address different challenges and apply different methodologies, the discussion showed a clear convergence around one shared priority.

“These joint activities will be complementary and together we are working towards the main objective of the European Commission, which is making critical technologies necessary for wind energy, and in particular floating wind energy, more affordable” said Aligi Foglia, Lead Geotechnical Engineer at NGI and co-lead of the TAILWIND project.

Also representing TAILWIND, Germán Pérez Morán, Head of the Offshore Renewables, Climate and Urban Transition unit at TECNALIA, underlined during the following panel session how strongly aligned the European research community is around the future of floating wind.

“Now that floating wind has proven the feasibility of the technology we have to go to the next step,” said Pérez Morán. “That next step is probably not only in the R&D community, but in financing and in projects. We need volume, we need big projects. What will reduce the LCOE greatly is industrialisation, mass production and the development of large projects. We need investment.”

Hosted within the WindEurope Annual Event, the side event formed part of one of Europe’s key meeting points for the wind energy sector. The annual conference and exhibition brings together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, investors and technology developers to showcase innovation, address the challenges of the energy transition and strengthen the link between R&D and industrial communities in the offshore wind sector.

Follow the updates on the project’s social media channels for further insights from the event, including video interviews with TAILWIND and sister projects representatives.