Project
Grand innovation partnership develops future designs for floating offshore wind
© GICON®
In January 2024 the project, Integrated Designs for Future Floating Offshore Wind Farm Technology (INF4INiTY), kicked-off. The INF4INiTY project is about developing integrated designs for future floating offshore wind farm, providing major technology innovations involving nature inclusive design as part of the floating foundation for the offshore wind turbine.
February 14, 2024
- SDG: #13, #14, #17
- SECTORS: Offshore Wind, Environment and Ecology
- COUNTRIES: Global
- CONTRACT VALUE: € 6 million
"Our technologies, services and know-how will play a key role in the success of the project, while we will also be able to greatly expand and develop with the expertise of the consortium partners over the coming four years."
Thor Ugelvig Petersen, Vice President for Offshore Wind.
NIRAS won the contract in a joint partnership consisting of 13 partners from eight European countries and being awarded project INF4INiTY is a great milestone for NIRAS allowing the colleagues in Offshore Wind to work on novel technologies and expand their engineering and environmental competences.
“This project is an important win for NIRAS and enables us to work with cutting edge technology for floating offshore wind as well take part in establishing a benchmark concept for the future approach to handle EIA, permitting and consent for floating wind,” said Thor Ugelvig Petersen, Vice President for Offshore Wind.
The next big innovation - floating offshore wind farms
One of the next big developments in wind power is floating wind farms. As the name suggests, these are wind turbines whose foundations aren’t fixed to the seabed.
We’re exploring this innovative technology in Scotland to unlock deep waters for renewable electricity production.
In particular, INF4INiTY provides two major technology innovations: an innovative nature inclusive design (NID) for gravity anchors and their associated scour protection system and (2) an innovative primary artificial reef structure (ARS) combined with the floating structure of a floating offshore wind turbine.
“To achieve these ambitious goals, INF4INiTY combines world class numerical modelling and experimental analysis expertise with leading industrial technology development.
Being immersed in a holistic techno-environomic, multi-level, multi-objective optimisation framework, INF4INiTY’s technology development results in truly innovative, economically viable, and sustainable solutions for the floating offshore wind industry," said Thor Ugelvig Petersen.
Tremendous potential for future floating offshore wind
“It is part of the Offshore Wind business to contribute to the green energy transition and to a large extent expand NIRAS’ renewable energy profile. In the offshore wind industry, we see an increasing potential and exploitation of renewable energy sources in building and designing floating offshore wind farms," said Thor Ugelvig Petersen and continued:
"The INF4INiTY project will play an important role in the future to achieve the European Commission’s ambitious goal of achieving climate-neutral energy transition.”
Drawing on our multi-disciplinary expertise within environmental and engineering consultancy services we aim to realise the full potential of offshore wind while integrating nature-inclusive solutions in offshore wind park design.
The importance of an increased exploitation of renewable energy sources to mitigate the anthropogenic climate change and foster a more sustainable energy mix is recognised globally. In particular, in Europe, the tremendous potential of floating offshore wind will play an important role in the future to achieve the ambitious goals of the European Commission towards a climate-neutral energy transition.
As part of our GREENsition strategy, NIRAS wants to expand the business and service offerings that aid the green energy transition globally. This project will enable us to develop substantial offerings in our home markets, leverage synergies with existing projects and clients, and ultimately showcase our abilities in floating offshore wind.
Thor Ugelvig Petersen, Vice President, Offshore Wind, NIRAS.
Global player within offshore wind consultancy
The NIRAS Offshore Wind team has an international presence and portfolio of projects and references covering the majority of offshore wind markets. INF4INiTY underlines that we are a preferred company and trusted advisor when it comes providing expert knowledge and consultancy within the following:
-
Design of gravity anchor and scour protection: Frontend Engineering and Design (FEED) for nature inclusive gravity anchors with scour protection systems
-
Catalogue of nature inclusive designs for offshore wind applications conducted October 2024.
-
Design and optimisation of floating structure with artificial reef and FEED for artificial reef structure integrated in the floating structure
-
Performance and load analysis at wind farm scale (incl. levelised cost of energy (LCOE), capital expenditure (CapEx), operational expenditure (OpEx)
-
Socio and environmental impact modelling and assessment (three areas to be investigated and delivered in web-based platform)
“To make informed recommendations we had to answer many complex questions. Simply choosing from existing designs wasn’t enough. Each ecosystem is unique, and one design may work well in one region but not in another.
We had to consider which species would colonise the structures, how to minimise impact on marine mammals and birds, and how engineering could maximise the structures' benefit to marine life.
Should we invest in additional features like artificial reefs or modify existing designs to be both functional and nature-inclusive?”
said Björn Andersson, Consultant and PhD in Marine Biology.
Catalogue of nature inclusive designs for offshore wind applications
NIRAS began cataloguing Nature Inclusive Design (NID) options for the INF4INiTY project in February, a crucial part of the initiative. The findings will guide the project’s direction and lay the ecological groundwork for the development of Nature Inclusive Design for floating offshore wind farms.
NIRAS leverages its marine biology expertise and experience with Environmental Impact Assessments in the Baltic and North Seas.
Beyond cataloguing existing nature inclusive design solutions, NIRAS evaluates their potential across Europe’s diverse marine ecosystems. INF4INITY seeks to rethink underwater component design to enhance biodiversity while ensuring structural safety. This will foster reef growth around the foundations and create productive environments, offering protected habitats for fish, corals, mussels, and other marine species.
Balancing safety, functionality, and ecological benefit requires close collaboration between engineers and biologists. Our current focus is understanding how marine life colonises these structures, so we can model and later validate how the added weight and drag from marine growth will affect the stability of the floating turbines.
Working across
We aim to enhance collaboration between our business units, fostering a culture of open communication and cooperation.
By facilitating knowledge-sharing initiatives, we empower teams to leverage each other's expertise, driving innovation and efficiency across the organization. Through active participation in learning opportunities, we cultivate a dynamic environment where employees continually expand their skills and contribute to the collective growth of NIRAS. Together, we strive to maximize our collective potential, driving sustainable success and delivering exceptional value to the project and our partners.
Facts about INF4INiTY
INF4INiTY is a 48-month project funded by the European Union under the Horizon-Europe framework programme consisting of 13 partners from 8 European countries: Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Turkey, Norway, Italy and Spain.
INF4INiTY will be a joint effort of six higher education institutions (TUBS, LUH, UGent, DTU, PoliTO, MGEP), two research institutes (IBW PAN, SINTEF), three engineering companies (BM SUMER, WIKKI, GICON), one large company (NIRAS), and an expert in techno-environomics analysis, D&C and SSH, including gender aspects (ATA).
Reach out to our expert
