The Neptune project, launched by KIC InnoEnergy, the UPC,
the IREC and others, can reduce the costs of offshore wind energy
Neptune, a pioneering system that performs offshore wind
measurements, has begun to operate today at the Petroleum Bridge in Badalona.
It consists of an eOLOS buoy to measure velocity profiles and wind direction
high above sea level, and NEPTool, a tool that predicts wind speed, sea
currents and waves in the short and long term with high spatial and temporal
resolution.
KIC InnoEnergy is a consortium comprising the Institute for
Energy Research of Catalonia (IREC), the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya •
BarcelonaTech (UPC), the Energy, Environment and Technology Research Centre
(CIEMAT) in Madrid, GasNatural Fenosa and other organisations. All of these
organisations, the University of Stuttgart (SWE) and the company Solucions
d'Enginyeria Marítima Operacionals (SIMO) developed and promoted this
revolutionary project, which will reduce the costs of offshore wind energy.
Knowledge of weather conditions at the exact location where an offshore wind
farm is to be located reduces the financial risk of the operation.