Design, development and testing of critical components for megawatt-scale, floating, vertical axis wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean
Partners: Emerald Energies (Project Lead – www.emeraldenergies.ie), ÉireComposites, Rockall Research Limited and The University Of Galway.
Funding: This project is funded by the 2024 SEAI National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration (RDD) Funding Programme.
Project Background
The Design4C project aims to position Irish companies at the forefront of the technological developments required to achieve these energy targets at the lowest possible LCOE. Building on the work done as part of the Mega4Wind project this is the second step in a proposed MegaVAWT – MegaWatt scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. To achieve this, the project will design, manufacture and experimentally test the turbine blades, struts and mooring required to power this MW scale device. This innovative research and development programme will provide key insights into the future design of the turbine, while de-risking the technology through analysis and structural design of the floating platform.
Project Objectives
This project aims to take a targeted approach at designing some of the crucial components and sub-assemblies that will need to be analysed, modelled and tested in depth prior to reaching the deployment of a MW scale device. The specific scientific and technical objectives of the project included:
- Design of a 25% scaled helical blade for 1MW VAWT platform
- Design and optimisation of a strut to foil interface for strength and durability.
- To manufacture and test a demonstrator foil-strut assembly to validate operational performance.
- Numerically model the aero-hydrodynamic behaviour of the floating platform and mooring lines under turbine-induced loads
- Analyse platform stresses from complex loading regimes and design an optimised conceptual floating platform for MW-scale deployment.
Project Consortium
The Design4C project brings together a complementary consortium of a developer (Emerald Energies), an expert marine platform designer (Rockall Research Ltd), a wind blade manufacturer (ÉireComposites) and testing facility (University of Galway). We are looking forward to collabrating with all of these partners towards the shared goal of creating a sustainable energy future for all.
Expected Impacts
By lowering the Levelised Cost of Energy, Design4C will contribute to a competitive offshore wind market in Ireland, generating high-paying jobs and supporting the EU’s clean energy goals. The project also aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals by reducing visual impacts and improving offshore wind accessibility. Through innovation and testing, Design4C will further strengthen Ireland’s role in renewable energy, helping mitigate climate change and energy inequalities.
SDG’s
The project further aligns very well with several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, mainly:
- Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
- Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
- Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
To learn more about ÉireComposites’ expertise in renewable energy projects, have a look here:
This project is being supported by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the SEAI National Energy Research, Development & Demonstration Funding Programme 2024, Grant number 24/RDD/01149.
