Technological boost to offshore wind energy production in the state
The Tekniker technology centre is leading the OPTIMAR project to study and design advanced digital technologies to optimise the operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines.
The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2021-2030 foresaw a capacity of 50 GW of installed wind power capacity in Spain in 2030, taking into account both onshore and offshore wind farms. This figure meant doubling the 25.7 GW of wind power and, therefore, considerable investment in R&D in this period, mainly in offshore wind.
In this context, the Tekniker technology centre, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), has been participating since this year in the OPTIMAR project, funded by the CDTI and supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the TRANSMISIONES 2023 programme, to contribute to Spain’s energy transition. Through the design of innovative solutions for offshore wind, the aim of the project is to ensure optimal energy production in offshore wind farms and their integration into the grid.
During the three-year duration of the initiative, new operation and maintenance (O&M) tools will be investigated, incorporating innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) for more efficient data management and real-time decision-making, applying the latest communication standards.
In this way, the autonomous production and efficient supply of offshore wind energy will be promoted in Spain, complying with environmental standards and regulations under strict levels of cybersecurity.
Tekniker’s scientific leadership
The work of the Tekniker team, which will lead the scientific part of the project, will focus, on the one hand, on increasing knowledge about the behaviour of structural materials in marine environments, with a special emphasis on corrosion and tribo-corrosion processes. The information obtained will allow the generation of advanced methods for monitoring the degradation of wind turbine structures. On the other hand, the technology centre will research the application of AI technologies that will enable robust algorithms for the detection, diagnosis and prediction of structural and mechanical anomalies from digital twins based on operation and condition data and images, while maintaining the security and privacy of the data used.
Finally, Tekniker will work on the implementation of simulation technologies and optimisation of offshore wind farm O&M tasks and strategies and their integration into the grid to improve system reliability, maximise resource utilisation and quantify improvement potential. OPTIMAR’s developments, coordinated by the company ISATI Engineering Solutions, will favour Spain’s scientific-technological capacity for offshore renewable wind energy generation, identified as one of the fundamental pillars for achieving the climate neutrality objectives in 2050 set at COP21 in Paris.
