Dundee scientists have made a breakthrough in floating windfarm technology.
The development would open up more of the world’s seas for the large turbines.
At present the depths at which floating turbines can be installed are limited by current anchor designs.
They leave too big a footprint on the seabed and limit the number that can be installed in challenging maritime environments.
But the Dundee University team have developed a new anchor concept that is capable of coping with millions of wave cycles in the most testing conditions.
Spokesman for the project, Professor Michael Brown, says that his team’s work has the potential to make swathes of the world’s sea viable for energy production.
He said: “In an uncertain world, there is an increasing need for the world to secure safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly energy.
“Our Geotechnical Engineering group has extensive experience in developing new foundation and anchoring concepts for the offshore renewable energy and aquaculture sectors.
“We were approached by Bruce Anchor Limited to further develop their anchoring concepts, utilising our world-leading experimental and physical testing facilities, developed as part of the Scottish Marine and Renewable Test Centre (SMART).
“These facilities include the large geotechnical centrifuge testing centre, which is the only one of its kind in Scotland.”
The research of Professor Brown and his team aligns with the UK Government’s recent announcement of £60M of funding for offshore floating wind demonstrator projects and the Crown Estate Scotland’s recent announcement of new ScotWind lease sites, located in significantly greater water depths than before.
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