The German startup SINN Power is working on a different technology for offshore alternative power plants. According to its own claims, the company has developed the world’s first floating Ocean Hybrid Platform capable of generating power using three renewable sources – waves, wind, and solar energy.
Starting this summer, the company hopes to offer solar panel manufacturers the opportunity to test and demonstrate their products (photovoltaic modules) on an offshore floating platform in Iraklio, Greece, as part of an off-grid energy solution. The aim is to combine wave power plants with photovoltaics and small wind turbines in order to supply places near the coast with electricity.
The Bavarian manufacturer has been developing innovative wave energy systems for five years, and since 2019 the company has been selling generators, power electronics components, and energy storage for the wave energy systems and other renewable energy systems.
The result of years of development at the wave power plant is an extremely robust, modular, yet cost-efficient structure that has been optimized for use in tough, maritime environments, the company writes in a press release.
The conversion of offshore wave energy is nothing new. There are many new pioneering developments taking place in this field at all times. However, what makes this particular platform unique is that it has been designed to be modular and extremely easy to connect and expand, so different combinations are possible.
“Modularity has been a key aspect since we started developing maritime technologies which allow flexibility and a wide variety of applications,” says Dr. Philipp Sinn, CEO, SINN Power. “The floating platform can supply renewable energy, for example, to island resorts in the Caribbean and contribute to the worldwide implementation of offshore wind farms.“
When we come to the features of the floating platform, we come across a wide range of customization options. Each floating unit or module consists of four integrated wave energy converters that generate energy in relation to water conditions. For regions with low wave energy potential, the unit can also be equipped with a series of 20 kW photovoltaic cells. In the same way, up to four small 6 kWp wind turbines can be attached to each module designed as a square. If desired, it is possible to use these three methods in a module. In this case, a giant floating energy farm can be produced with the modules brought side by side.
Intensive long-term tests of the structure would have shown that they would withstand waves up to 6m high. This is based on SINN Power’s many years of experience in the maritime environment and opens doors for a global market. The idea, which went from the patent to the prototype in just two years, attracted a lot of attention from partners and investors.
