Europe has a large amount of unexploited resources across the offshore renewable sector due to the inexistence of suitable technologies for deep waters, where a large amount of high energy intensity combined resource (wind and wave) exists. Also, in a long term, offshore wind farms will be required to move to deeper waters (> 45m), due to the lack of suitable shallow water sites and the desire to harness better energy resources. At these depths, fixed foundations are not economically viable. For this reason, there is a clear need to approach different concepts that enable deployment in deeper waters, such as floating devices. Floating Power Plant A/S and linked third pary Floating Power Plant Ltd (FPP), aims to pursue a major opportunity by bringing its innovative hybrid concept – an offshore-proven, floating, wind and wave power plant – to commercial maturity. Specifically, with POSEIDON, FPP aims to go a step further in its business strategy by overcoming the key barriers that may hinder the successful market uptake of its commercial-scale device – the P80.The innovation project activities will be focused in the UK (primary target market). P80 is based on a unique patented technology, which presents several advantages when compared with current offshore renewable concepts: facilitates deployment in deeper waters; enables higher energy yields; allows a reduction in capital costs due to shared foundations, grid infrastructure, and platform (between wind and wave); and allows a reduction in O&M costs due to its unique safe harbour. Overall this translates into a reduction of LCOE (up to € 0.13/kWh), which is the ultimate objective of the EU offshore renewables industry in order to become competitive. POSEIDON is expected to significantly enhance the profitability of FPP, with an expected turnover of €1 billion, 5 years post-project. Moreover, the successful achievement of the project objectives is expected to advance Europe along the path to an energy system that will deliver a competitive and secure energy supply.

ICONN is a unique European Industrial Doctorate initiative to meet the current and future demand for highly skilled offshore wind and wave energy engineers by developing and advancing European capacity in the design, development and performance optimisation for Offshore Wind and Wave Energy installations. The initiative is strongly shaped by active participation from industries, and will develop and enhance European capacity in the offshore renewable energy area at a critical juncture in time when Europe strives to occupy a lead market position globally in this sector. The ICONN EID will i) provide state-of-the art training to Early Stage Researchers jointly with industries in the scientific and engineering disciplines of power take-off (PTO) and structural control, wave mechanics and hydrodynamics, CFD, sensing and system identification; ii) advance expertise, and research capacity, in the techno-economic-environmental factors that impact on the reliability and operational efficiency of offshore renewable energy installations; iii) instil business, management, entrepreneurship and innovation skills pertaining to offshore wind and combined wind-wave energy sector to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation; iv) promote clearly defined scientific dissemination, public outreach and commercialisation/IP agendas. The three scientific work packages, which scaffold the individual research activities, progress from addressing specific challenges and capability deficiencies that impede the effective and efficient deployment of offshore wind and wave infrastructures (floating systems and optimisation of power take-off (PTO) ) through to activities that seek to create, and innovate in, new control algorithms and in operational efficiency domain (fatigue control, new algorithms for control of PTO).