At Norwegian firm Wind Catching Systems, they believe that the current generation of offshore wind turbines is far from fully developed. With the recently presented Windcatcher, a giant 320-metre-high floating wind power plant, they believe they can power 80,000 European households.
The company works with Aibel as technical contractor and the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) for energy production. Each Windcatcher consists of tens of individual wind turbines attached to a floating platform. This enables a self-contained maintenance system, eliminating the need for specialised vessels to support offshore maintenance work.
To generate the same amount of electricity, to replace 25 large individual wind turbines, five Windcatchers are needed. Energy scales exponentially with wind speed. Conventional turbines limit energy output above 11-12 m/s by tilting the blades. By utilising the full energy at higher wind speeds and the multi-rotor effect, the Windcatcher generates 2.5 times more annual energy per area covered than a conventional turbine.
In early 2023, Wind Catching Systems received a grant from ENOVA worth 9.3 million Norwegian Kroner. This will fund the initial implementation of the Wind Catcher. "This is the second grant Wind Catching Systems has received from ENOVA. ENOVA's support is a strong endorsement of both our technology, and our team. We are now fully focused on getting our technology ready towards our first offshore installation," says Ole Heggheim, CEO of Wind Catching Systems.
Image: Wind Catching Systems
