OFFSHORE WIND
The first prototype was installed in 2017 in the Grand Harbour of Malta.
A smart offshore energy storage solution THE GROWING NUMBER OF OFFSHORE WINDFARMS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY THAT WILL AT TIMES DELIVER SURPLUS POWER AND AT OTHER TIMES NOT COPE WITH DEMAND. IN TIMES THAT MORE ELECTRICITY IS PRODUCED THAN NEEDED, IT CAN BE STORED INSTEAD OF CURTAILED. A SUITABLE BUFFER CAN STORE EXCESS ENERGY PRODUCTION AND DELIVER IT LATER TO COMPENSATE FOR DEFICITS TO MEET DEMAND. START-UP COMPANY FLASC HAS INVENTED A SMART, NONBATTERY-BASED ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTION FOR THE OFFSHORE SECTOR AND IS NOW READY FOR THE NEXT STEP. ALL PHOTOS AND IMAGES COURTESY OF FLASC.
O
ne of the co-founders of FLASC is Daniel Buhagiar, a young mechanical engineer from Malta. “Being an island,” he says, “Malta has always depended on the sea in many ways and during my studies at the University of Malta I became interested in the sea’s potential for renewable energy. During my Ph.D. in offshore wind energy, under the supervision of Professor Tonio Sant, we were investigating supply and demand and looking at ways of integrating the storage of offshore generated electricity. This was back in 2015 and resulted in a concept for an energy storage device, FLASC HPES (hydro-pneumatic energy storage) that can be installed offshore, and even integrated directly into an offshore windfarm.
>>
o f f s h o r e - i n d u s t r y.eu
Flasc.indd 27
OSI 2021 | Vo l u me 14 | I s s u e 1 | 2 7
04-02-2021 12:58
