The design, based around an 'x-shaped' steel foundation fixed to the seabed with four pairs of tendons footed with suction piles, is seen as having the potential to cut the levelised cost of energy (LCoE) for deepwater wind as low as £91/MWh ($121/MWh) by 2025, according to calculations by project partner the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.
"This collaboration [with ORE Catapult and the University of Strathclyde] has helped take the TLPWind design forward from being an exciting concept to an even more exciting, working prototype," says Iberdrola Engineering & Construction head of offshore Juan Amate Lopez.
"From
