INF4INiTY, a joint innovative floating offshore wind project launches in January 2024

A large EU consortium joins efforts to develop integrated nature-inclusive designs for future floating offshore wind farm technology. 

On the 30th of January 2024, the project Integrated Designs for Future Floating Offshore Wind Farm Technology (INF4INiTY) kicked-off. 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, two research institutes, three engineering companies, one large company and one SME.

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. However, the required expansion of floating offshore wind capacity to achieve, e.g., the EU’s SET Plan targets, challenges the goal to protect and preserve bio-diversity in the EU sea basins. The INF4INiTY project will support the solution of this European and global challenge by developing nature-inclusive designs for subsea components of floating offshore wind installations.

“By developing critical technologies for the offshore wind farm of the future, INF4INiTY will contribute to solves the current techno-socio-enviro-economic challenges of the floating offshore wind industry.”, says project coordinator Dr. Christian Windt of the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TUBS). Prof. Nils Goseberg of TUBS adds that “the INF4INiTY solutions will balance human needs, such as clean energy, with nature’s and society’s demands of decreased negative environmental and social impact.”

INF4INiTY is poised to revolutionize offshore wind technology with two groundbreaking innovations: (1) the innovative Nature Inclusive Design (NID) for gravity anchors and their associated scour protection system (GASP), and (2) the innovative primary artificial reef structure (ARS) integrated into GICON’s floating offshore wind design.

These innovations are meticulously advancing through Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5, with comprehensive data collection, certification milestones, and a clear roadmap to commercialization. Project Manager at GICON GmbH Dr-Ing. Frank Adam echoed these sentiments, stating, “INF4INiTY’s unwavering commitment to achieving TRL5 and beyond for selected sites is a testament to its dedication to innovation and sustainability, paving the way for a new era of environmentally conscious offshore wind power.”

“INF4INiTY’s commitment to balancing engineering requirements with ecosystem preservation sets a new standard for sustainable offshore wind development,” added project leader M.Sc. Vinay Kumar Vanjakula.

The capacity of the technology innovations to allow the floating structures to interact favorably with their surrounding environment will be evaluated and benchmarked during the INF4INiTY project. Moreover, the intention to demonstrate their capacity in core areas for offshore wind (Baltic Sea, Scottish Waters and Adriatic Sea) provides confidence in their future application. As part of evaluating the EIA and ESIA aspects of the project, along with setting a benchmark for floating offshore wind, these innovations have a strong market potential for application in present and future offshore wind farms.

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.

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Meet the project partners:

About Technische Universität Braunschweig 

Technische Universität Braunschweig is one of the oldest and, as part of the TU9 German Institutes of Technology e. V., one the most recognised technical universities in Germany. As part of TUBS, the Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources (LWI) performs cutting edge research, focused on the analysis and understanding of wave structure interaction, coastal dynamics, natural hazards, and coastal protection. Methodological, the research is focused on experimental test campaigns in state-of-the-art mid- to large scale test facilities, as well as numerical modelling approaches, ranging from high-efficiency to high-fidelity. LWI is also part of the Coastal Research Centre, Hannover.

About Leibniz Universität Hannover

Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) is one of the nine leading universities of technology in Germany (TU9), renowned for its research in engineering and natural sciences. The Coastal Research Centre (FZK) as a joint institution of Leibniz University Hannover and Technische Universität Braunschweig, is nationally and internationally recognised for its research in coastal and ocean engineering. Particularly, FZK offers globally outstanding equipment for carrying out physical model tests with waves and currents, namely the Large Wave Current Flume (GWK+).

About WIKKI Gesellschaft für numerische Kontinuumsmechnik mbH 

WIKKI GmbH excels in providing specialized services around the OpenFOAM® technology, an open-source C++ library that addresses computational continuum mechanics, particularly in fluid dynamics. Specializing in FOAM development, WIKKI engages in commercial and research projects, contributing significantly to the FOAM-extend release. The company’s focus lies in the development and support of customized applications and innovative numerical simulation techniques. The portfolio of services includes contracted development including integration and coupling of numerical software, training, and support as well as automation of simulation processes, including design and parameter optimization.

About GICON® Group 

The GICON® Group is a group of international, independently-operating engineering service providers. Our headquarters are in Dresden, Germany. As a group of companies, GICON® stands for sustainable, environmentally-conscious services and has been a reliable planning partner at home and abroad for 30 years. We are very much involved in supporting onshore and offshore windfarms engineering and consulting services as well as continuing the development of our own technology developments. Currently, over 550 employees work throughout the group

About Institute of Hydro-Engineering of Polish Academy of Sciences 

Institute of Hydro-Engineering Polish Academy of Sciences (IBW PAN) with its site in Gdańsk, Poland founded in 1953. 34 academicians among 50 staff members are focused on the fundamental and applied research on maritime and inland hydraulics as well as soil mechanics carried out in three departments: Wave Mechanics and Structural Dynamics, Coastal Engineering and Dynamics, and Geomechanics. The experimental base of the Institute consists of four well equipped open as well as indoor laboratories such as Coastal Research Station by the Baltic Sea, open hydraulic laboratory, wave flume and geomechanical laboratory.

About BM SUMER Consultancy & Research 

BM SUMER Consultancy & Research is a consultancy and R&D company based in Istanbul, with speciality areas such as scour/scour protection around marine and hydraulic structures; seabed liquefaction (wave and seismic) and its implications for marine structures; current and wave loading on and hydroelastic vibrations of marine/hydraulic structures including pipelines; river engineering; coastal and river sediment transport. Extending beyond the classical consultancy services, BM SUMER Consultants provide services in which consultancy and advanced research go hand in hand, employing cutting-edge methods and technologies.

About NIRAS

NIRAS is a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy. The company has strong market positions in Northern Europe. Our +3,000 staff work on 7,000 ongoing projects from our 61 offices globally. No matter where in the world you meet NIRAS digitalisation, sustainability and quality advice is the cornerstone. NIRAS has been part of offshore wind since the very first offshore wind farm Vindeby in Denmark in 1991 and holds more than 35 years of experience in the field.

About Aquatera Atlántico SL 

Aquatera Atlántico, an SME founded in 2021, it is the headquarters of the Aquatera Group in Europe. The company offers specialised consulting services in the blue economy sectors, with recognised expertise in blue energy through intensive knowledge acquired during more than 20 years of experience of the Aquatera group in projects and initiatives driven in these sectors around the world. Aquatera Atlántico is based in the Canary Islands, Spain.

About Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa

Mondragon University’s Engineering faculty is a non-profit cooperative private university in the Basque Country devoted to training, research, and technology transfer (R&T). Our institution specializes in various areas of technology, combining numerical and experimental methods to develop innovative solutions. Our dedicated R&T groups work towards generating breakthrough knowledge. By actively collaborating with different companies, we anticipate their needs and contribute to the advancement of technology.

About Politecnico Di Torino 

Politecnico di Torino is a center of excellence for education and research in engineering, architecture, design, and planning, working in close cooperation with the socio-economic system. It is a comprehensive Research University where education and research complement each other and create synergies to address the needs of the economic system, of the local community and, above all, of its 38.700 students. Politecnico is committed to a strong internationalization process of its teaching, research, and technology transfer activities.

About Gent University

Ghent University is one of the fastest growing European universities in terms of research capacity and productivity, attracting about 50,000 students and generating 420 million Euros in research expenditure. It is committed to European research excellence with 404 Horizon 2020 and 210 Horizon Europe projects, 132 ERC grant holders and 85 MSCA fellowships and is ranked 84th in the Shanghai and 107th in the Times ranking. Collaborative research, a dynamic work environment and a pioneering attitude are at the heart of Ghent Universities research policy.

About SINTEF Ocean AS 

SINTEF Ocean conducts research and innovation related to ocean space for national and international industry. Our ambition is to continue Norway’s leading position in marine engineering and bio marine research. To deliver on this we hold world-class software and research infrastructure that ranges from one of the world’s largest ocean basin laboratories to full-scale testing facilities. Together with industry and government, we are developing future-orientated solutions for sustainable utilization of the ocean.

About Danmarks Tekniske Universitet

DTU is a vibrant elite technical university, recognized for its high level of international research and its sought-after graduates. Through collaboration, our staff and students reach out to the world and work across disciplines to create value, welfare, and growth by developing technologies that work in a globalized world, transcending social and cultural differences. DTU has a vision for a better world, and we invite the world to join us in realizing that vision.