X1 Wind, a Spain-based startup, has achieved a significant milestone with the successful generation of 1 kWh of power by their floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Spain’s Canary Islands. This achievement brings X1 Wind closer to realizing their goal of manufacturing their innovative design on a large scale. The X30 floating prototype is one of the first to use a tension leg platform (TLP), a unique innovation that minimizes damage to sea floors.
The X30 prototype is one-third the size of the final proposed turbine and incorporates several unique components and adaptations, including PivotBuoy, an augmented single point mooring (SPM) setup. PivotBuoy allows the floating platform to align with wind currents passively, eliminating the need for an active yaw actuator and ballast systems, reducing the turbine’s overall weight and maintenance requirements.
Moreover, X30’s TLP addition provides enhanced environmental benefits. The TLP remains stable and at rest using steel rods anchored to the sea floor with suction anchors or caissons. The platform tension beneath the water line keeps the legs stretched, and the braces limit the turbine’s vertical movement atop the waves.
The energy generated by the X30 prototype is fed into the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands’ (PLOCAN) existing offshore test site smart grid via a 1.4 km underwater cable.
X1 Wind’s floating turbine design was first conceived in 2012 by company co-founder Carlos Casanovas while he was a student at MIT. Since then, Casanova’s team has worked tirelessly to bring the concept to fruition. The project began its design phase in April 2019, followed by its manufacturing stage during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Final assembly and construction were completed in October 2022 in 50m deep waters off the Canary Islands.
Offshore floating wind turbines were once considered a pipe dream but are increasingly proving to be an incredibly promising asset in sustainable global energy generation. Axelle Viré, an associate professor of Floating Offshore Wind at Delft University of Technology, estimated in 2022 that floating wind turbines could generate between 150-200 gigawatts of energy in the coming decades. In comparison, fixed wind turbines only generate 12 gigawatts.
In a statement, Casanovas said, “Floating wind is set to play a vital role supporting the future energy transition, global decarbonisation and ambitious net-zero targets.” X1 Wind hopes to move into full-scale production after completing prototype testing, with their floating wind turbines generating 15 MW of clean energy each anchored in deep-sea environments around the world.
