on November 12, 2026
Before being installed at sea, new technologies must be tested under conditions as close as possible to reality. This is precisely the role of Centrale Nantes’ model test basins.
Thanks to their state-of-the-art equipment and their ability to replicate the combined action of waves and wind, they enable researchers to test innovative concepts on a small scale before their large-scale deployment.
These facilities are now an international benchmark for the development of marine technologies, particularly in the field of floating wind power.
As part of the European project FLOATFARM, teams from the Laboratory in Hydrodynamics, Energetics & Atmospheric Environment (LHEEA) conducted a series of tests to evaluate a promising concept: the sharing of a single mooring line between two floating wind turbines.
To accurately replicate the behaviour of floating wind turbines, the researchers used the Software-in-the-Loop system SoftWind. This is a real-time hybrid method developed at Centrale Nantes. This technology involves calculating the aerodynamic forces acting on the wind turbines in real time and applying these forces using an actuator comprising six thrusters, one on each wind turbine. It offers an unprecedented level of realism for studying the interactions between floating wind turbines, their mooring systems and realistic wave and wind conditions.
The FLOATFARM project is helping to overcome the technological barriers that still hinder the deployment of floating wind turbines. The knowledge and innovations developed will make this technology more competitive and support the transition to a more sustainable energy system.
This test campaign is quite unprecedented: two floating wind turbine models were tested simultaneously using a shared mooring system. Waves were generated by a wave maker, whilst aerodynamic loads were being imposed in real time via the SoftWind system installed on each model, replicating realistic wind conditions.
The movements of the two platforms and the moorings were measured using several motion capture systems, enabling the collection of valuable experimental data for the design of future floating wind farms that are more efficient, reliable and sustainable.
Full details of the Floatfarm project
