The part-scale prototype of floating wind pioneer X1Wind’s PivotBuoy concept is afloat off the Spanish island of Gran Canaria awaiting installation in the Atlantic Ocean, as plans for development of a first full-size array using the next-generation design take shape.

The X30 unit, build as part of a €4m ($4.8m) project awarded under the European Commission H2020 programme, will start a one-year trial this summer, with an eye on a first pre-commercial development made up of up to five 5-6MW units off the Canary Islands “by 2024-25”, company CEO Alex Raventos told Recharge.