In the context of an increased need for renewable energy and the subsequent requirement to deal with discrepancy between times of high electricity production and high electricity consumption, as well as the need to replace fossil fuels with alternative options, it is vital to develop the combination of offshore renewable energy farms with green hydrogen production via electrolysis. The preparation of a commercial scale demonstrator of a wind turbine platform carrying equipment for hydrogen developed by ERM requires experimental testing of a model platform for the analysis of the effect of the modified weight distribution and determining subsequent adjustments which may need to be made.
At a scale of 1:60, a model of the WindFloat platform will be manufactured, representing the most important characteristics which will impact the stability. The WindFloat platform has several characteristics which distinguishes it from other platforms, such as the presence of heave-plates at the bottom of the three columns of the semi-sub, and the position of the wind turbine on one of those columns (no centre-column). Active ballast in the form of water is also part of the characteristics, which I will aim to reproduce at model scale, if a method can be found. Outcomes of the experiment will inform the developer of potential adjustments required, as well as inform about the metocean conditions under which hydrogen production can be conducted safely.
