Japanese shipping group Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has invested in floating wind energy technology start-up, TouchWind.
TouchWind develops a tilting, one-piece rotor wind turbine – a design that is expected to reduce wind interference between turbines. MOL said that the design enables the wind turbines to operate in strong winds, reduces the weight of the wind turbine and floating parts, and is expected to improve the utilisation rate and the economics of the equipment through its lifecycle.
In July 2023, TouchWind received a grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to build up to 10 wind turbines with a rotor diameter of 6 m (output 12 kW). From 2024 to 2025, TouchWind plans to conduct tests to verify the effect of reducing wind interference between wind turbines on land and in the sea in the Netherlands.
Founder and ceo of TouchWind, Rikus van de Klippe, said: “We have been working together for over a year now on the further development of our tilting angled one-piece rotor floating wind turbine. Field testing with a 6m diameter rotor is in full preparation at the Oostvoorne lake in the Netherlands. With MOL as a shareholder and their investments, we can speed up our testing program to prove our technology.”
Furthermore, MOL and Shell Marine Products Singapore, signed a MoU to focus on advancement of alternative maritime solutions and managing carbon emissions liabilities. As part of the agreement, the two companies will look to jointly conduct trials to explore the viability of biofuels and synthetic fuel options as realistic decarbonisation pathways.
