The Canary Islands test the first floating wind platform in Spain

The consortium consisting of the Spanish and British companies EnerOcean, Ghenova Ingeniería, Ingeteam Power Systems and Tension Teach International, has chosen the Canary Islands to carry out technical tests on the prototype of the first floating wind platform. This device allows optimizing the cost of energy production by having two wind turbines of six megawatts each on the same platform.

“This system is made up with two inclined towers which allow maximum stability with the right size and obtain double performance”, Pedro Mayorga, president of the company EnerOcean, said. EnerOcean is leading this project, which sees the light after ten years of work. According to Mayorga, the system is tested in the Canary Islands because this region has become the Mecca of wind energy in Spain. The islands, he said, are pioneers and today lead offshore wind in Spain with the Arinaga and Plocan windmills and the interest of their administrations to grow in this field.

In the development of this prototype, European funds and also those provided by companies have been fundamental. In total, more than two million euros have been allocated to create this device, whose parts have been assembled by Astican in the Port of La Luz.

“We look at different offers and we prefered Astican’s. We are very happy because they have done a very good job, and from their harts” said Mayorga, who this week presented the prototype to more than 50 Spanish and international experts, executives, associations and industry representatives in the port.

The prototype will be installed in the next few weeks at the Plocan test bank, near the offshore windmill located on the coast of Jinámar. If the trial period goes well and the testing is successful, the prototype will go on the market. There are already several manufacturers interested in its construction.

The device that will be installed in Jinámar is a scaled prototype and therefore smaller than the one that will be built in the future, according to Mayorga. The height of the real device will be around 160 meters (very similar to the model of the wind turbine installed by Plocan in Arinaga) and 300 meters width, from the blade of one wind turbine to the other.

A device described as “very suitable” for the Canary Islands

Deep water.

The technical director and president of the EnerOcean company, Pedro Mayorga, considers that the prototype that is now going to be tested (W2Power) is "very convenient" for the islands. As this is a floating device, it solves the problem of depth.

Wind farm project on the islands.

"This prototype is very suitable for the Canary Islands because of the depth of the water and the wind conditions," says Mayorga. In fact, if the tests go well, their intention is to install a small park of 3 to 5 platforms in the waters of the islands.

Insular leadership

According to him, the Canary Islands are the current leaders in the implementation of offshore wind. "The only development in Spain is in the Canary Islands," says Mayorga. Mayorga highlights the confluence of public and private intentions in the archipelago.

>>> MAESTRALE

The company EnerOcean participates in the MAESTRALE project as one of the stakeholders suggested by CEEI Valencia

Maestrale is a Project that intends to develope initiatives to make use of the marine renewable energies in the Mediterranean area.

The Maestrale Project forms part of Interreg MED 2014-2020 Programme and it is co-financed by EU funds.

Maestrale Project wants to lay the basis for a maritime energy deploy strategy in the Mediterranean sea. It also intends to enlarge the knowledge interchange among scientists, public authorities, businessmen and citizens, and to promote measures and effective investmets in the Blue Growth.