When

The  third edition of the challenge runs in the academic year of 2023 to 2024:

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• 11 September 2023: start of the registration for the competition

• 14 January 2023: abstract deadline - 1 page A4 flyer containing:

  • Sketch or 3D drawing of the floating concept

  • Details of the participants (photo, name, university/company, year of study/position ..)​​

  • Explanation about standout features of your concept​

• 28 January 2024: Abstract feedback from evaluation committee

  • Selected student teams​ are eligible for a budget of 1000€ for fabrication costs (+ turbine)

• 28 April 2024: Report & structure deadline 

  • Page limit for reports: 40 pages

  • Video showing the floating structure + moorings & anchors

  • In select countries, a local competition may be organised

• 10 May 2023: Selection of groups for final competition event by evaluation committee​

  • Selected student teams​ are eligible for a budget of 1000€ for travel costs. We provide advise on travel and logistics to help with sustainable travel.

• 4 July 2024: International final competition event​​​

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Who

Groups of young engineers can participate in the challenge. Different options for entering the competition are:

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• It could be integrated as part of a problem solving and design course at a university, where a group of students work on a specific topic (e.g. KU Leuven has such group courses in 1st and 2nd year of engineering that run over one semester and are about 4 ECTS).

• Groups of university or high school students can sign up for the challenge as part of extra curricular activities. We advise to have supervision from e.g. a professor or an industry professional in the offshore wind industry to help guide the group in the competition.​

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Students from all levels (high school, undergraduate, graduate and PhD level) can participate in the challenge. In case of questions, please send us an email.

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What

 

The groups have to design and build a floating wind turbine structure. In the 2024 edition, the structure needs to meet the following requirements:

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• Turbine: Vevor 400W wind turbine

• Hub height: 1.20m above water level ±10cm

• Water depth: min. 1m - max. 2m

 

The structure is evaluated using the following criteria: 

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• Power generation efficiency (Efficiency losses caused by dynamic wind/wave interaction) - 20pts

• Structural integrity (Support structure design) - 20pts

• Foundation stability (FOU - Foundations/anchors and moorings) - 20pts

• Practicality of construction (T&I - Transport and Installation) - 20pts

• Cost efficiency at full scale (Materials & fabrication cost) - 20pts

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A panel, consisting of industry and academic experts in offshore wind, evaluates the criteria at the competition event.

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Where

This is a global competition and groups of young engineers from across the world can participate in it. The preliminary location for the final competition is indicated in the image below.

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Prize

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There are two separate prizes of 1000€ for the competition based on the performance of the structure in the field and the written report.