FIBREGY is an ambitious European innovation project that will enable the deployment of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) for the next generation of offshore wind and tidal turbine platforms.
Led by the International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE, Spain), the FIBREGY consortium is working on the development of novel construction procedures and design and production guidelines to enable the extensive use of FRP materials in the offshore
wind and tidal turbine platforms. Furthermore, the project will develop and validate advanced numerical analysis tools for the purposes of design, operation and monitoring. The final aim is to validate the replacement of steel with FRP materials in those structures, which can provide
significant advantages thanks to its immunity to corrosion and superior fatigue performance.
The different technologies developed in the project will be demonstrated through the use of advanced simulation techniques and the construction of large and real scale prototypes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program with a total budget of €8 million, including €6 million from European funds.
Strengthening EU leadership in renewable energies and the blue economy
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the value added generated by ocean based industry globally could double in size from €1.3 trillion to €2.6 trillion in 2030. The European Union ambition is to become a major player on the international market and home to successful clean ocean energy companies. FIBREGY will strengthen the EU’s leadership in renewable energy and the blue economy.
Due to the reduction of the maintenance and production costs, FIBREGY expects to increase the target market by 10-15% and the profit margin by 20-25% at the end of the project. Offshore wind and tidal energies play a key role in achieving the European Greenhouse Gas Emissions
2030 and 2050 targets.
Europe wants to increase its offshore wind capacity from 24.3 GW to 111 GW by 2030. It will set aside €26 billion for the development of novel technologies for new offshore wind farms. The European target for 2050 is that offshore power generation (wind and tidal) will account for 25%
of total electricity generation.
