Apollo are delighted to have secured a share of £1.3m funding from Offshore Wind Growth Partnership, to tackle mooring challenges associated with floating wind turbines.
Apollo’s PALM™ device is a form of disruptive technology focused on the safe, reliable and quick connection/disconnection of the critical mechanical and electrical components in floating wind devices.
Floating wind is set to be a key feature of ScotWind. Developers are looking to access resource potential further offshore, in waters that are deeper than those suitable for fixed wind. With over 100 renewable energy projects complete, and decades of working on floating assets such as tidal and wave energy converters, floating production vessels and mobile offshore drilling units, Apollo’s team have a strong appreciation of marine challenges and effective technology solutions.
Whilst much can be gained through the optimization of the hull of the device itself, we are focused on ensuring that the mooring operation is as efficient as it can be, with minimized vessel onhire time, a critical cost item in offshore operations.
Mooring failures are costly and highly undesirable events. Through Apollo’s novel technology, floating offshore wind developers will have access to a cost-efficient, rugged, marinised mooring connector which incorporates the extensive learning about mooring integrity by the floating production sector.
By simplifying and reducing connection and disconnection time, the wind farm operator can readily recover the turbine and foundation to port for inspection. This offers significant cost and integrity benefits, especially considering the number of devices that will be moored in some of the larger leasing areas.
Apollo will be working alongside a market-leading floating wind turbine platform provider with the aim of producing a system that is technology agnostic, meeting the needs of all developers looking to deploy floating turbines into any sea states.
Image curtsey of Offshore Wind Growth Partnership