From a small porthole to the future of Med Wind: Renexia’s AXYS FLiDAR measures wind and sea conditions in the Strait of Sicily.

Renexia has positioned an AXYS FLiDAR WindSentinel in the Strait of Sicily for a 12-month measurement campaign. The metocean data will reduce uncertainties about wind resources, refine productivity estimates, support the layout design of Med Wind, and provide essential inputs for engineering structures, moorings, installation planning, and future maintenance activities.

Summary

Renexia has positioned an AXYS FLiDAR WindSentinel in the Strait of Sicily for a 12-month measurement campaign. The metocean data will reduce uncertainties about wind resources, refine productivity estimates, support the layout design of Med Wind, and provide essential inputs for engineering structures, moorings, installation planning, and future maintenance activities.

A glimpse into the future: the floating laboratory studying the Strait of Sicily

From a small porthole, a vast horizon opens up. This photo was captures aboard our FLiDAR —an autonomous, floating measurement platform functioning as a true open-sea laboratory. From this unique vantage point, Renexia studies the marine environment to bring Med Wind to life, the largest floating offshore wind farm project in the heart of the Mediterranean.

FLiDAR: what it does and why it is so important for Med Wind

The FLiDAR gathers precise measurements of the wind resource, helping quantify how much “wind energy” is available in that area. These insights improve forecasting of the wind farm’s potential electricity production and support optimal placement of turbines.
Simultaneously, metocean data—including waves, currents, and atmospheric conditions—provide essential information for:

• safe and robust structural design

• defining anchoring system requirements

• planning installation sequences

• preparing long-term O&M strategies

Technical characteristics of the FLiDAR operations carried out in Trapani

The system installed is an AXYS FLiDAR WindSentinel, a floating platform designed for remote measurement of wind and weather conditions. Key technical features include:

• Total mass: approx. 8.2 tons

• Operational capability: stable performance and continuous measurement in deep waters and severe sea states
  Work in Trapani:

• final platform assembly

• functional testing of all sensors

• preparation of the mooring system

• launch and offshore positioning
  Anchor release point: precisely located in the center of the Med Wind project area, at a depth of approx. 575 meters

Main engineering and environmental challenges faced

The first challenge was logistical: transporting the hull and all the technological and scientific components from Canada (Victoria, Vancouver area) to Trapani.
From an engineering point of view, the main complexity was related to the depth of the site and the environmental conditions of the Strait of Sicily. The mooring system was designed and verified through dynamic simulations, considering significant waves of up to approximately 8.5 m, average surface currents of 1.8 m/s, and extreme event scenarios with a return period of 100 years.

The FLiDAR was also tested immediately after installation by Cyclone Harry, which affected Sicily during the fourth week of January, overcoming the event without any operational criticalities. From an environmental point of view, a significant challenge was to ensure the safety and reliability of the system while minimizing its footprint on the seabed, which is mainly characterized by clayey sediments and fine silt.

Value of data collected for plant design

The FLiDAR’s measurements are a foundational input for the engineering and design of the Med Wind offshore wind farm. Anemometric measurements will significantly reduce uncertainties in wind resources, improving energy production estimates and supporting optimal turbine layout design. Additionally, marine weather data will provide a real reference for the sizing of structures and anchoring systems and for the planning of future installation and maintenance activities.

FLiDAR technology partner/supplier and expected data collection timeline

The technology supplier for the FLiDAR system is AXYS Technologies: axys.com. The measurement campaign is expected to last a total of 12 months from deployment.

[A new look at the sea, for tomorrow’s energy

True innovation is knowing how to look at the world with new eyes, transforming scientific knowledge into clean energy for tomorrow. The journey starts here.