The project was initiated to support the development of new offshore renewable energy concepts capable of producing clean electricity from multiple energy sources at the same time. The concept combines wave energy converters, a floating wind turbine, and solar panels into one floating offshore platform. By combining several renewable sources in the same structure, the system aims to increase energy production while reducing the cost per produced kWh. The project is highly relevant because there is a growing need for stable and sustainable energy production to support the green transition and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The project addresses several technical challenges related to floating offshore structures. The platform must withstand large waves, strong winds, and harsh sea conditions while maintaining stable operation and efficient power production. Another challenge is understanding how the combined system behaves dynamically in realistic offshore conditions and how energy can efficiently be extracted from the wave energy converters. Numerical simulations alone are not sufficient to predict all hydrodynamic effects and structural responses.
SINTEF contributes through advanced model testing, hybrid testing, measurements, and analysis. Scale model tests were performed in the Ocean Basin and Towing Tank laboratories in Trondheim using realistic wave, wind, and current conditions. Hybrid testing combined physical models with real-time numerical models and motor-controlled systems to reproduce realistic offshore loads and power take-off behaviour. Measurements from sensors, cameras, wave probes, and force transducers were used to validate numerical models and evaluate system performance, motions, mooring loads, and power production capabilities.
