WindFloat Contraption: From Conception to Reproduction

Abstract

This paper will discuss the very serious topic of the design of the WindFloat, a full-scale floating wind turbine. The importance of the fundamentals of hydrodynamics in achieving the desired performance cannot be overstressed. These will be discussed in this paper, together with some of the key considerations that entered into the design process. At the time of writing of this manuscript, a full-scale WindFloat prototype has been spinning for a few months, and the electricity it generated powered all the Christmas lights of Pòvoa de Varzim, a small town in the north of Portugal — whose inhabitants are not seeing a reduction in their electricity bill. The authors have chosen to disassociate the presentation — a progress report — from this manuscript, which should discuss a topic more appropriate to the permanent literature.