Project > WIND OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGIES
The activity within Wind Offshore focuses own attention on the development of analysis and design methodologies of offshore floating wind turbines covering all key aspects, among which: wind resource analysis, platforms optimization by genetic algorithms, mooring systems
design, numerical modelling both platform hydrodynamic both wings aeroelasticity, expected power production analysis of the whole system. These activities are flanked by techno-economic analysis considering also installation sites.
Aero-Hydrodynamic Model of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
A wind turbine is a particularly complex system to simulate, which must combine the external wind and wave loads acting on the turbine, platform and mooring system. In order to study the behaviour of different wind turbines and platforms in various sea states, we developed a in-house model on the programming language Simulink-MATLAB, characterized by a high adaptability and flexibility.
The system is composed by several blocks representing the different components:
- Waves
- Wind
- Wind turbine
- Moorings
- Hull
Test Area in Pantelleria
The Morenergy Lab has a test area near the island of Pantelleria, along the Sicilian channel since 2014 to carry out experimental tests for wave energy converters. In August 2015, the pre-commercial 1: 1 scale version of the Iswec device was installed and connected to the power grid at the Pantelleria site.
In order to allow floating offshore wind simulations in an operative environment, a test area request is in progress with the Italian authorities.
The site chosen for the installation of the offshore wind system is located north-west of the island, at a distance of about 18 km from the coast, with an average sea depth of 300 m. This area was chosen for the following reasons:
- It has a good exposure to the mistral and therefore has the greatest energy potential of the island;
- the high distance from the coast allows to reduce the visual impact of the wind turbine and not to interfere with maritime traffic to the port of the island;
- the position of the system allows you to connect the marine cable directly to the mainland near the Arenella area, with a low landscape and tourist value. It is an industrial area where bathing is forbidden due to drains from the sewer system and where the oil-fired thermoelectric power station of SMEDE (the private company that manages the production of electricity in Pantelleria) is located. In this way, it would be possible for the electricity produced directly to the power plant to be fed into the grid or, if it were necessary to have a system for the accumulation of the energy produced, it would be placed in this area.
The point for the laying of the offshore wind system has the following coordinates: 36 ° 59’15 ” N, 11 ° 52’50 ” E while the identified area corresponds to a square with a 2 km side.
Among the criteria considered to identify the site there are:
- Distance from the coast to limit the visual impact from the coast
- Bathimetry
- Remoteness from main sea routes and fishing areas
