France has launched a collaborative project called Velella aimed at reducing the environmental impact of floating wind turbines. The project has secured a €5.7m grant as part of the “France 2030” programme implemented by ADEME and brings together industrial and academic players including BW Ideol, Centrale Nantes, the OPEN-C Foundation, and ENSTA Bretagne.
Velella aims to qualify several technologies and innovations to prepare for the deployment of commercial floating wind projects under the best economic, social, and environmental conditions. The project will rely on the proven and patented floating technology designed by BW Ideol to structure its research and innovation activities.
The first part of the project will focus on optimizing the economic and environmental performance of the BW Ideol floater for deployment with larger turbines (>20 MW). The second part will feature the on-site deployment of mooring lines made up of innovative materials and the implementation of new underwater surveillance and inspection methods to further reduce costs during operation.
The third aspect of the project will involve the evaluation of socio-economic impacts and the structuring of the floating wind power sector. Finally, all efforts will be guided by an eco-design approach, where each innovation will be analyzed and assessed from a life cycle analysis (LCA), recyclability, and potential consequences on the marine environment points of view.
Tests will be carried out on various sites and assets owned by the partners, including BW Ideol's Floatgen wind turbine operating for the last five years at Centrale Nantes's SEM-REV test site off Le Croisic, which is now operated by the OPEN-C Foundation.
Paul de la Guérivière, CEO of BW Ideol, said, “We are very happy to receive support from ADEME for this project. Velella is a key project whose objective is to develop technologies and methods to reduce the construction and operating costs of floating wind farms, while improving reliability and mitigating environmental impact. The environment is becoming a priority, and this project is once again an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment in this area.”
Velella's innovative technologies and eco-design approach aim to set a new standard for the construction and operation of floating wind turbines and have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of renewable energy projects.
