EnBW and aerodyn engineering are testing a 1:10 scale prototype floating wind turbine for the first time in Germany.
The 18 meters tall Nezzy2, which comprises two wind turbines on a precast concrete floating platform, is being tested in a flooded gravel pit near Bremerhaven.
The next step is testing the turbine in wind and wave conditions in the Baltic Sea. If these trials go well, EnBW will test the model at full scale with another partner in China.
According to the company, the aim of the research project is to develop a new offshore technology enabling wind turbines to float on the water surface.
“This new technology opens up countries and marine areas with greater water depths and expands the possibilities for renewable energy generation,” said Hannah König , Head of Wind and Marine Technology at EnBW. “We are testing Nezzy2 in partnership with aerodyn because it brings together a range of technical innovations.”
EnBW has announced plans to deploy floating wind turbines in future projects, stating that France is especially an attractive market together with its subsidiary Valeco.
Aerodyn already tested a 1:10-scale predecessor model with a single turbine in the sea off Japan in 2018. Nezzy2, its successor, has two rotors and has so far been tested on a scale of 1:36 in an artificial wave channel in Cork, Ireland.
“We are confident that Nezzy2 will enable the international offshore wind industry to generate wind power at sea even more cost-effectively in future. In EnBW, we have gained a partner for our test with ten years of experience in the construction and operation of offshore wind farms,” said aerodyn Managing Director Sönke Siegfriedsen .