Norway shows interest in Spanish floating wind energy technology

A number of Spanish and Norwegian companies, among others, are part of the European HiPRWind project for research into offshore wind power.

An official delegation from Norway consisting of diplomats, businessmen and technology center managers visited the technical tests that ACCIONA is carrying out in the El Pardo Hydrodynamics Experimental Channel (CEHIPAR) in Madrid. The tests are on the design of floating structures that can support offshore wind turbines.

The visit, held last Friday, is one of a series of activities organized to coincide with the signature of an R&D agreement between the Foreign Ministries of Spain and Norway.

The Norwegian delegation was headed by the country’s ambassador-in-office in Madrid Anders Eide, and made up of representatives from companies and technology centers, among them Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Government’s official center for support to industrial and business innovation.

ACCIONA was represented by Energy Division President Carmen Becerril and Innovation Director Pedro Párbole, together with other managers and technical personnel of the company. Also present were CIEMAT (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) Director-of Renewables Enrique Soria and other officials from the Spanish Administration.

The tests developed in CEHIPAR are part of the European HiPRWind project, carried out by ACCIONA together with around twenty other companies and technology centers from eight European countries. The objective is to find technological solutions for high-capacity offshore wind turbines on floating structures that will enable their installation in deep water.

The result of the tests in the channel will be decisive for the next phase of the project, which involves the installation of a floating platform anchored to the seabed equipped with a 1.5-MW ACCIONA Windpower turbine. The scale model used in the tests is approximately 1:10 for future offshore wind turbines of more than 10 MW.

The first floating wind turbine to be installed in Spain is expected to be operational in the second semester of 2013. It will be placed 100 meters above the seabed on the Cantabrian Sea.

The materialization of a good part of the HiPRWind project in Spain will help the country to gain access to an emerging market. Investments in floating wind power structures up to 2030 could be above 200,000 million euros worldwide.

ACCIONA Energy is a global operator in clean energies with over 20 years’ experience in the sector and a strong presence in seven renewable technologies. It has installed 9,757 MW for clean electricity generation, of which 8,202 MW are owned by the company. The Company has installed 283 wind farms (8,392 MW); 80 hydroelectric power plants (912 MW); 5 Concentrated Solar Power plants (264 MW), one of the biggest photovoltaic solar energy plants in the world (46 MWp) and three biomass plants (57 MW). It manufactures wind turbines using in-house technology and owns and operates biodiesel and bioethanol production facilities. It also develops projects internally and for other customers, is present throughout the value chain, and produces and markets energy of renewable origin.

By José Santamarta, www.acciona.es