In this context, the Tekniker technology center, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), has been participating since this year in the OPTIMAR project, funded by the CDTI (Center for the Development of Industrial Technology) and supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the TRANSMISIONES 2023 program, to contribute to Spain's energy transition. Through the design of innovative solutions for offshore wind, the project aims to ensure optimal energy production in offshore wind farms and their integration into the grid.

During the three-year duration of the initiative, new operation and maintenance (O&M) tools will be investigated, incorporating innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) for more efficient data management and to be able to carry out real-time decision-making, applying the latest communication standards.

In this way, autonomous production and efficient supply of offshore wind energy will be promoted in Spain, complying with environmental standards and regulations under strict levels of cybersecurity.

The work of the Tekniker team, which will lead the scientific component of the project, will focus, on the one hand, on increasing knowledge about the behavior of structural materials in marine environments, with a special emphasis on corrosion and tribo-corrosion processes. The information obtained will allow for the development of advanced methods for monitoring the degradation of wind turbine structures. On the other hand, the technology center will investigate the application of AI technologies to create robust algorithms for the detection, diagnosis, and prediction of structural and mechanical anomalies using digital twins based on operational and condition data and images, while maintaining the security and privacy of the data used.

Finally, Tekniker will work on implementing simulation technologies and optimizing the tasks and O&M strategies of offshore wind farms and their integration into the grid to improve system reliability, maximize resource utilization, and quantify potential improvements. The OPTIMAR developments, coordinated by ISATI Engineering Solutions, will enhance Spain's scientific and technological capabilities for offshore wind renewable energy generation, identified as a key pillar for achieving the climate neutrality goals set at COP21 in Paris by 2050.

The OPTIMAR project, in addition to the aforementioned Tekniker and ISATI Engineering Solutions, includes entities such as HI IBERIA Ingeniería y Proyectos SL, Grupo Técnico RIVI SL, ENEROCEAN SL, IDNEO TECHNOLOGIES, SAU, Atten2 Advanced Monitoring Technologies SL, DataDron SL, Fundació Institut Recerca Energia de Catalunya and the University of Salamanca.

This publication is part of the R&D&I project PLEC2023-010352, funded by MICIU/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and as appropriate: “FEDER a way of making Europe”, “FEDER/EU” or by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”.