TouchWind has successfully installed its floating wind turbine prototype at Fieldlab Green Economy Westvoorne in the Netherlands. Following the installation, the POWER project has now entered the in-water field testing phase, marking the next step in the demonstration programme. The POWER project – ‘POsitive Wake Effects of turbines with tilted Rotors’ – investigates how turbines with tilted rotors can deflect wakes and draw higher-energy wind from upper air layers. Combining these effects could enable wind farms with significantly higher power density.
Floating prototype and mooring system
The floating turbine is moored using steel and polyester lines connected to concrete deadweight anchors, which are outfitted with 3D printed reefs of Coastruction, to stimulate ecology in the lake. Load shackles integrated in the mooring lines measure forces acting on the mooring system during operation.
A floating met mast, installed in April 2025, is also present at the test site. The met mast uses a similar mooring configuration but is not equipped with load shackles, as the loads acting on this platform are minimal.
Installation activities
The installation of the floating turbine was coordinated by TouchWind and Duc Marine. Crane services were provided by Peinemann, which lifted the turbine into the water. During the mooring process, MARIN supported the installation by monitoring load shackle data, allowing the mooring lines to be tensioned correctly.
The test location is provided by Fieldlab Green Economy Westvoorne, a facility that supports the testing and demonstration of innovative sustainable technologies.
Testing programme
During the testing programme which will run throughout 2026, the POWER project consortium will collect operational data on turbine performance, platform behaviour and mooring loads.
Combining offshore testing at Fieldlab Green Economy Westvoorne with onshore wake interaction studies using nine TouchWind turbines positioned near shore at the fieldlab, the project brings together all elements needed to validate the performance of the TouchWind floating wind turbine under real conditions.
POWER project consortium
The POWER project is carried out by a consortium consisting of TouchWind, MOL, TNO, MARIN, Nidec and We4Ce. The project receives funding from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Original announcement link (includes photo)
Source: TouchWind
