Coming from different backgrounds and combining complementary skills, students from the Specialized Advanced Master - Marine Renewable Energies Expert (MS EEMR) program have been working together for several months on the FWC: an international challenge to design and build a floating wind turbine structure.
The Floating Wind Challenge (FWC): an international competition to design and build a floating structure
Now in its 3rd edition, the FWC is an international competition dedicated to floating wind turbines and is supported by major companies in the sector. Each year, the FWC culminates in a sea trial of the prototype floating wind turbine structures developed by the selected teams. The finals for the 2024 edition will take place from July 3 to 5 on Napoléon Beach in Port Saint Louis du Rhône (in the Bouches-du-Rhône département).Twenty teams have signed up for the 2024 edition. They represent universities and postgraduate schools from France, Denmark, Scotland, China, Japan, Australia, the United States, and many more.
On January 14, the “Avel Vor” team from the Specialized Advanced Master - Marine Renewable Energies Expert program was selected, along with nine other teams, by a jury made up of SMULDERS, Jan de Nul and EDF Renouvelables, on the basis of a poster they created. Being selected for the next phase entitles them to a budget of €1,000 to build their prototype.
For the second phase of the challenge, teams must write a 40-page technical report, which is due by April 28. They will then be evaluated according to 5 criteria: quality of the structure, energy efficiency, system stability, cost of the materials used, and finally, the transport and installation of the structure.
The concept of “Avel Vor”, the team of students from the Specialized Advanced Master - Marine Renewable Energies Expert program
While the challenge requires the use of a 400-watt turbine, all the other elements and the overall structure itself were developed, designed, and built (in a scaled-down prototype) by the team.
Together, they set out to create a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective structure capable of operating in any weather conditions. The structure is therefore similar to those currently used in offshore wind farms, but also includes a number of innovations such as on-board intelligence.
In order to successfully complete this challenge, the team divided itself into 3 groups. The first group was responsible for project management, administration, logistics and report writing, while the second group focused on digital simulations (structural analysis and hydrodynamics). Finally, the third group worked on building the model.
After many weeks of collective investment, part of the team went to Ifremer's test tank to test the model. It was a great moment for the team, to see their idea come to life and verify the reliability of the system they had developed.
Now it's time to submit the report, which will highlight the choices the team has made in terms of system efficiency and reliability, project profitability and ease of installation. On May 10, the jury will inform the “Avel Vor” team if their solution has been selected to compete in the finals, which is scheduled to take place in July. At the end of the finals, 2 main prizes will be awarded: “Best Report” and “Best Structure”. The team is also vying for the “Greenest Transport” prize, by transporting the model using methods with the lowest carbon footprint.
Chañs vat Avel Vor!
