Vertical take-off | First cash for a floating wind turbine that wants to change the game

The pioneering SeaTwirl vertical axis floating wind turbine (VAWT) has bagged its first commercial deal.

SeaTwirl said it has secured an agreement that includes a smaller-capacity version of its turbine as part of work to explore decarbonisation of offshore oil & gas operations.

Sweden-based SeaTwirl in May signed a deal with technology group Kontiki Winds to explore oil & gas applications and microgrid applications such as power for fish farming.

CEO Johan Sandberg said: "It is extremely gratifying to announce that SeaTwirl now receive its first commercial revenues, which shows that the work we have put in to commercialize our technology now starts to pay off."

SeaTwirl, in development since 2010, is the first VAWT to make it into the water at quasi-industrial-scale, though vertical rotor designs have long been seen to hold untapped promise.

Experimental models have undergone development and trials in onshore settings and several high-profile pilot units, including French contractor Technip’s Vertiwind, WPL’s Aerogenerator, and a concept collaboration between EDF and Nenuphar, have been announced but none reached commercialisation.

A study published by Oxford Brookes University in the UK in 2021 concluded VAWTs would “outcompete” the mainstream models now being built in their thousands for projects around the world.(Copyright)

cover photo:kbuilderthailand.com