Floating platforms boost offshore wind production

This innovative design could make floating wind power more economical and accessible

Spotted: To date, wind generation has been dominated by onshore wind farms, which account for 93 per cent of current installed capacity worldwide. Offshore wind also holds great potential, but scaling the technology has been slower due to regulatory delays and large upfront costs. This cost barrier is what Aikido Technologies aims to overcome with its floating wind platform.

Aikido’s solution is designed to streamline the production, logistics, and deployment of floating wind turbines, which helps to remove logistics bottlenecks and keep costs lower, while increasing generation output.

The Aikido Platform features pin joints that allow for the serialised production of its 13 major steel components, significantly reducing production time. Plus, the platform can fold up during assembly, so that it takes up two-thirds less space in a shipyard or port facility, and reduces the final assembly footprint by 75 per cent.

This is complemented by a reusable assembly structure for quick placement and alignment, and a water ballast upending procedure that means the Aikido Turbine can be carried horizontally, making it easier to transport and install. Unusually for wind turbine units, this foldable structure can be moved through shallow water ports, under bridges, and across the Panama Canal. Using Aikido’s design, the cost and weight of a floating platform can be reduced by up to 25 per cent, and the company employs a rotor design optimised for use in a floating environment.

Currently, Aikido Technologies is in the process of building its first platform, Aikido One, in partnership with Morrison Energy in Harvey, Louisiana. This platform is scheduled for a demonstration in the Gulf Coast in autumn this year. To propel this project forward and establish a commercial pipeline, Aikido has recently closed a successful seed funding round for $4 million, led by investors Azolla Ventures.

Written By: Oscar Williams