The objective of the FLOAT project is to study the reliability of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, also known as Compact Reinforced Composite (CRC), for the floats of wave energy converters. In order to reach commercial breakthrough, wave energy converters need to achieve a lower price of energy produced, comparable to prices currently obtained from offshore wind power, and this can be done by the use of more suitable materials. The flotation device is a key part of converters, as it accounts for a considerable share of initial investment, up to 27% depending on the converter (dexawave.com, 2011). CRC floats could be a very cost-effective technology with enhanced loading capacity and environmental resistance, and very low maintenance requirements, affecting directly the final energy price. The project involves DEXA Wave Energy Ltd, Wave Star A/S, Aalborg University and Hi-Con A/S. It is divided in 4 tasks:
Task 1: Preliminary float design and economic considerations
Task 2: Material characteristics
Task 3: Preliminary experiences
Task 4: The importance for wave energy
The present report covers Task 1.