The part-scale version of Spanish floating wind pioneer Saitec’s BlueSATH prototype is ready for tow out to its testing site in the Cantabrian Sea.
The 1:6 SATH (Swing Around Twin Hull) demonstrator, based on a design using joined cylindrical pre-stressed concrete hulls anchored to the seabed via a single-point mooring system that allows the unit to ‘weathervane’ to face the wind, will undergo a 12-month programme of trials.
“The main objectives of BlueSATH project cover SATH platform validation of its response and dynamic behavior,” said Saitec CTO David Carrascosa, in a LinkedIn post.
“The aim is to obtain models that allow for structural optimisation, enabling cost reduction and validating structural turbine integrity.
“We couldn’t celebrate as expected due to the current [coronavirus] restrictions, but the good news is BlueSATH is afloat!”
Results from the tests will be applied to the development of the full-scale 2MW DemoSATH unit, to be installed in 2021 at a deep-water site at the Basque Marine Energy Platform R&D centre, where Saitec is partnering with German energy giant RWE’s renewables to develop the innovative concept, with an eye on 10MW+ model.
