PRINCIPLE POWER PORTUGAL UNIPESSOALLDA

Their core work

Principle Power Portugal is the European arm of Principle Power Inc., the company behind the WindFloat technology — a semi-submersible floating platform that enables offshore wind turbines to be installed in deep waters where fixed-bottom foundations are not viable. Their core work is engineering and commercializing floating offshore wind infrastructure, with a focus on scaling turbine capacity toward 12+ MW to bring the levelised cost of electricity (LCoE) down to grid parity. In the ReaLCoE project, they contribute industrial expertise on wind energy converters, modular design, and cost reduction strategies. More recently, their scope has extended into operations and maintenance, engaging with autonomous inspection technologies — drones, surface vessels, and underwater robots — to reduce the cost and risk of servicing offshore wind farms.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 engagement (2018) centers squarely on the wind energy converter itself — turbine scaling to 12+ MW, modular design, cost modeling, and grid parity — reflecting Principle Power's core product: the floating platform. By 2020, the keyword focus shifts entirely toward autonomous inspection tools (UAV, ASV, AUV), signaling that their interest moved downstream into the operational lifecycle of offshore wind farms. This is a logical progression: once you've built and deployed floating wind platforms, the next commercial problem is how to inspect and maintain them cheaply in deep, remote waters.

Principle Power is moving from platform developer toward integrated offshore wind lifecycle provider, combining turbine infrastructure with autonomous operations and maintenance — making them a relevant partner for any consortium addressing the full value chain of floating offshore wind.

How they like to work

Principle Power operates strictly as a partner or third party — never as coordinator in H2020 — which is typical for deep-tech industrialists who contribute proprietary technology rather than managing research processes. Their consortium in ReaLCoE is large (35 unique partners across 11 countries), suggesting they are comfortable working inside complex multi-stakeholder projects where they hold a defined technology role. Their third-party status in ATLANTIS indicates they also provide access, expertise, or test infrastructure to projects without formal contractual leadership.

With 35 unique consortium partners across 11 countries, Principle Power Portugal has built a broad European network concentrated in the offshore wind and maritime sectors. Their collaboration footprint is wider than their project count suggests, indicating they joined large, well-resourced consortia rather than small bilateral partnerships.

What sets them apart

Principle Power Portugal brings something rare in EU research consortia: a commercial offshore wind technology company with a market-deployed floating platform (WindFloat), not just a research prototype. This means their LCoE estimates and upscaling figures are grounded in real deployment experience, not laboratory modeling. For any consortium targeting Technology Readiness Levels 7–9 in floating offshore wind, they are one of the few private SMEs in Europe that can credibly bridge the gap between research outcomes and commercial rollout.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ReaLCoE
  An 8-year Innovation Action (2018–2026) targeting 12+ MW floating offshore wind converters at grid parity, with EUR 1.35M in EC funding to Principle Power — their flagship H2020 engagement and the clearest evidence of their commercial technology positioning.
• ATLANTIS
  Their third-party role in this Atlantic maritime robotics platform (2020–2023) reveals a strategic interest in autonomous inspection of offshore wind farms, pointing toward future O&M product or service development.