PhD study was performed within the framework of an France Energies Marines project receiving funding from the French national Investments in the Future program called POLYAMOOR which responds to the need of industrial developers of EMR technologies to design the future development of cheaper anchoring systems in shallow waters. The French government has initiated an offshore energy production programme (Rabain, 2019), and the development of innovative solutions, such as floating wind turbines, is essential to achieve the objectives. Furthermore, near-shore wind turbines have operating limits such as geographic space and population agreement in the Mediterranean Sea, and operability issues in areas further from the coast.
An advantage of floating wind power is that it can overcome water depth limitations, improve acceptability and provide access to a larger and more regular wind resource. These wind turbines are held in position by means of an anchoring system. However, the confirmation of the technical and economic interest of floating wind turbines requires the development of innovative and reliable systems to reduce their costs.
As the anchoring system and its installation represent a significant part of the cost of electricity, it is essential to optimize mooring solutions.
Moreover, these solutions could also apply to a broad range of other EMR technologies, such as systems using wave and tidal power.