Testing of the first floating zero-emission substation design for an offshore wind farm, ECOFOSS, has begun in the Cantabria Coastal and Ocean Basin
ECOFOSS is an innovative project promoted by a consortium of 6 companies with a high technological profile: Red Eléctrica, Sener, Ocean Ecostructures, Ditrel and Uptech Sensing, and led by Navantia Seanergies, through its center of excellence, COEX Green Energies.
The floating substation ─which is being developed thanks to this project─ will allow the electricity production from offshore wind turbines, installed in areas of great depth and far from the coast, to be integrated into the electricity system for subsequent distribution to consumers.
The tests being carried out consist of an experimental analysis of the substation’s behavior at sea by studying the behavior of its 1/40 scale model in a tank where oceanic conditions are reproduced. These results will then be compared with those obtained previously from the simulations carried out during the design phase.
These tests will allow validation of the substation design and its operation in sites with specific wind, sea and current conditions. In addition, the dynamics of the mooring system, as well as the dynamic power cables, and their response to different sea states and seabed conditions will be tested. All in all, an experimental database will be generated for the calibration and validation of the numerical models used for the design of the concept.
Hydrogen plant to be validated in March
This project is particularly innovative, as it is the first zero-emission substation design: it includes a renewable hydrogen generation and re-electrification plant that will power the substation’s auxiliary services in maintenance and emergency situations when it cannot obtain electricity from the wind turbine farm.
The testing of the hydrogen plant will take place in March of this year, in a test bench that is being developed at the COEX Green Energies headquarters located at the Navantia Seanergies facilities in Cartagena.
The project consortium
Each of the ECOFOSS partners contributes with its experience and specific know-how to the project. Navantia, the SEPI Group company which leads the project, through its green energy division Navantia Seanergies, has been designing and building foundations and substations for offshore wind farms for 10 years, and has accumulated knowledge and experience in the hydrogen sector. Red Eléctrica – a subsidiary of Redeia – is the operator and transporter of the Spanish electricity system, contributing its knowledge and experience in substations and submarine links, always ensuring a quality and safe – and increasingly renewable – electricity supply throughout the country. Sener is a leading firm in engineering and multidisciplinary technology, with extensive experience in the design of offshore floating platforms and naval engineering. Ocean Ecostructures is a bluetech company that, through its technology, transforms any marine infrastructure into“nature positive” spaces, regenerating marine biodiversity. Ditrel specializes in power cable connection systems and Uptech Sensing is characterized by its fiber optic monitoring solutions for power cables.
This is a fundamental project for the deployment and integration of offshore wind energy into the electricity system in an efficient, safe and environmentally friendly way, in line with the objectives of the “Roadmap for the development of offshore wind and sea energy in Spain”, which will be developed using floating technology. Offshore wind is one of the renewable energy sources that will enable the ecological transition to be achieved, contributing to energy independence.
Financing
ECOFOSS is part of the INNCODIS tractor project, an action financed through the PERTE Naval Call, launched by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and belonging to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). It is financed by the European Union – Next Generation EU.
The Cantabria Coastal and Ocean Basin
The Cantabria Coastal and Ocean Basin (CCOB) is a node of the distributed network MARHIS, a Singular Scientific and Technical Installation (ICTS) of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Managed by the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria), this infrastructure has multidirectional wave and current generators, which allow the creation of simulations of any meteo-oceanic condition at laboratory scale. Measuring 30 x 44 x 3 meters deep, the facility integrates Hardware-In-The-Loop type systems for the simulation of wind action on wind turbines, as well as any other type of offshore structure with the highest levels of realism and fidelity. The main purpose of the facility is to contribute to the validation of innovative structural typologies, both fixed and floating.
