Principle Power partners with an innovative Irish company Technology From Ideas (TfI) to develop novel mooring solutions for transitional waters

ShallowFloat aims to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of soft mooring designs for floating offshore wind turbines by incorporating an innovative load reducing polymer spring in the mooring lines. The spring technology developed by TfI, has the potential to reduce peak loads by more than 50%, enabling reduction in both size and required holding capacity of anchors. As such, these polymer springs are expected to reduce installation vessel requirements, enabling drastic reductions in cost for FOWT station-keeping systems in shallow waters.

Principle Power has a proven track record in the design, procurement, and installation of conventional and innovative station-keeping systems for its WindFloat® technology. We have designed mooring systems for water depths as low as 48m with simple components that are inexpensive to install. In shallower water, however, mooring requirements tend to increase exponentially. Incorporating TfI’s polymer spring into this mature mooring system design framework has high potential to simplify deployment in challenging shallow water sites.

The objective of this NOWRDC-funded study is to design a bankable, low-cost, shallow-water mooring solution that has an Approval-in-Principle (AIP) from the American Bureau of Shipping and provide developers with reliable technical and economic data about the ability of floating foundations to potentially offer a more competitive, lower risk solution compared to bottom-fixed jacket structures in certain shallow water sites.

TfI is an Irish company pioneering solutions for the emerging floating wind sector. Their polymer spring mooring technology allows customers to change the mooring system response, optimising the behaviour of the system in ways not possible with conventional steel or fibre technology. This drives down loads and fatigue, enables deployments in challenging environments, all while delivering cost reduction. The technology is in the process of certification by class societies, making it one of the most advanced technologies in the industry.

“As we see countries like Ireland target increasing volumes of offshore wind, there is a real opportunity to capture first mover advantages for both the country and the supply chain” said Cian Conroy Senior Business Development Manager – Europe, Principle Power Inc. “We are excited to be working with TfI. As we look to the growth of the floating offshore wind sector, deployment in shallow waters will play a major role in meeting targets and, for this, innovation in the mooring space will be key” he added. 

Speaking about the award TfI CEO Noel Halloran stated “we are delighted that Principle Power, the market leader in floating offshore wind technology, is proposing Tfi technology to enable shallow mooring of their platforms. It is a very important recognition for the company and its team of engineers who have been working intensively to get the technology to this point”.

Over the next 18 months, TfI will be demonstrating their technology in Scotland, France and now the USA.  “We will be challenging the 'steel thinkers’ in this industry to reimagine their mooring designs and take advantage of the opportunities we offer for load reduction” added Mr. Halloran.