This Tuesday, September 18, the commissioning of France's first floating wind turbine marked France's entry into the ocean of opportunities represented by offshore wind power.

Begun in 2013, the project, dubbed "Floatgen," was installed on a site operated by the École Centrale de Nantes off the coast of Le Croisic in Loire-Atlantique. Now in production and connected to the grid since Tuesday, September 18, the installation will supply electricity to approximately 5,000 residents. Enough to cover the equivalent of the population of Le Croisic and its surrounding areas.

Floatgen: an innovative technology

In detail, the floating wind turbine stands 100 meters high and conceals a 2MW turbine in its nacelle. It was erected on a 5,000-tonne yellow float made of hollow concrete designed by the start-up Ideol and produced by Bouygues TP. Both flexible and corrosion-resistant, nylon cables fixed 33 meters below the water level anchor the installation 22 km from the coast [1].

France finally enters the offshore wind industry

France had committed at the European level to achieving the target of 6,000 MW for offshore wind power by 2020. However, there are still no wind farms in the waters of France, whose maritime area of ​​11 million square kilometers is the second largest in the world [2].

So far, The boat has rocked for French offshore wind power. The developers of the first six farms awarded following calls for tender in 2011 and 2013 had to brave the headwinds brought by multiple appeals. However, the President of the Republic finally confirmed them during one of his trips to Brittany on June 20, 2018. The crest of the wave of economic benefits for the territories concerned: 15,000 jobs announced [3].

In search of lost Mega Watts

These first parks planned on the Atlantic coast will initiate the deployment of French offshore wind power. However, the target of 6,000 MW of offshore wind power by 2020 will not be achieved, as the wind farms commissioned by then will only produce half of that, or 3,000 MW [4].

But the Renewable Energy Union remains confident, considering it both prudent and realistic to set a target of 15,000 MW by 2030. It should be noted that this perspective only concerns wind power installed on the seabed, whose potential is limited. Indeed, wind turbine masts can only be installed at a depth of less than 50 meters [5].

Floating offshore wind power significantly extends this potential since floating farms push back the 50-meter barrier within a reasonable limit linked to the connection to the continent. Even if this technology is not as proven as fixed offshore, the entry into production of "floatgen" intends to mark a step forward in this field. In addition, floating wind farms are already scheduled to come into service in 2021. This is the case for EolMed, whose pilot farm of 4 turbines with a total capacity of 24.6 MW will cover the annual electricity consumption of 50,000 inhabitants [6].

EolMed also used crowdfunding on Enerfip for the launch of the pilot farm.

Offshore wind power: a leading energy source in Europe by 2030

It therefore seems more than plausible to achieve the 15,000 MW target set by the SER. It is found in the report of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). According to the most optimistic scenario, offshore wind power should be able to meet European energy demand up to 11.3% by 2030 [7].

Sources

[1] Idéol, Floatgen Demonstrator, (source).

[2] Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables, L’éolien en mer, ENR.fr, consulted on September 27, 2018, (source).

[3] Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables, Offshore Wind, the Head of State confirms the completion of the first six parks, ENR.fr, June 20, 2018, (source).

[4] Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables, A roadmap for offshore wind power: 15,000 MW in 2030, Paris: SER, 12 p.

[5] ibidem.

[6] EolMed, The project : the pilot park, (source).

[7] European Wind Energy Association, Wind Energy Scenarios for 2030, EWEA: August 2015, 16 p. (p. 7)