The WECHULL+ project, co-ordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, has received a $2.7 million grant from the European Union to develop novel floating structures based on high-performance concrete for offshore renewable energy sector.
The project, funded by the EU Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) program, will develop and test new floating structures in an effort to reduce cost and CO2 footprint, as well as improve circularity and reliability in the offshore renewable energy sector.
The three-year project, starting in December 2023, is implemented by a consortium of research organizations and companies, including RISE, Delft University of Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, Pekabex, PLOCAN, with wave energy developers Carnegie Clean Energy, and Ocean Harvesting Technologies, as well as floating solar company Solar Duck.
Concrete structures are said to be low cost, resistant to the marine environment, and are easy and fast to manufacture on-site, in comparison to manufacturing of traditional steel structures.
The solutions developed in the WECHULL+ project regarding material, modelling and design will be applicable for floating structures in ocean renewables and other areas.
WECHULL+ is based on the results and proof-of-concept from a previous project (WECHULL), where a new, highly flowable high-performance concrete mix was developed for Ocean Harvesting’s patented thin-walled honeycomb buoy.
The solution enables large scale production on site and results in a buoy with a weight similar to a conventional steel hull, but with significant reduction in cost, CO2 footprint and manufacturing time..
Mikael Sidenmark, CEO Ocean Harvesting Technology, said: “Reducing the use of resources and the environmental impact are critical in the energy transition. We are very pleased that our honeycomb design for floating structures will also be tested by other ocean energy developers in sea trials, and we look forward to this collaboration.”