Imagine a wind turbine that looks like a spinning carousel instead of a giant propeller, floating on a buoy in the deep ocean. Because the heavy parts are at the bottom, it stays steadier and is much easier to fix without towing the whole thing back to land. It's like moving the engine of a car to a place where a mechanic can reach it without lifting the entire vehicle.
Current floating wind turbines are just adapted onshore designs, making them inefficient for deep water and expensive to maintain because they must be towed to shore for major repairs.
A 2MW floating vertical-axis wind turbine demonstrator with an integrated tower-floater structure.
If you are a developer dealing with high installation costs in deep waters — this project developed a 2MW floating vertical turbine that uses a smaller spar floater to reduce material costs.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with complex assembly of tower and floater components — this project developed an integrated design that merges both into a single structure to streamline production.
If you are a service provider dealing with expensive transport of turbines to shore for repairs — this project developed a vertical-axis design that allows for simplified maintenance on-site.
The turbine features a lower center of gravity, which allows for the use of a smaller spar floater, thereby reducing the amount of materials required and lowering overall costs.
The project aims to scale the technology from a 30kW version to a 2MW floating wind demonstrator operating in real conditions for 15 months.
Based on available project data, specific IP or licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 11 partners across 9 countries including 9 industry actors.
The project runs from 2025-10-01 to 2029-09-30, with the demonstrator intended to operate for 15 months.
Because the projected €15M funding is insufficient for full deployment, the project is developing an external funding strategy involving public and private investment.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with an 82% industry ratio, comprising 9 industrial partners (6 of which are SMEs) across 9 countries. This strong commercial presence, led by University College Cork, suggests a high focus on market viability and supply chain integration rather than pure academic research.
Contact University College Cork (National University of Ireland, Cork)
Contact us to connect with the VERTI-GO industrial partners for early adoption opportunities.
