When Santiago Canedo first imagined a turbine that didn’t rely on oversized bearings and fragile gearboxes, he wasn’t just trying to solve a technical puzzle—he was confronting one of the biggest bottlenecks in offshore wind energy. Now, that early vision has grown into LIGHTWIND: a Horizon Europe project driven by a bold idea—make floating offshore wind truly scalable.
As EU Green Week shines a spotlight on sustainable energy systems, LIGHTWIND is proud to contribute a piece of the puzzle: a novel drive-train technology designed to unlock the full potential of wind energy in deep waters.
When Santiago Canedo first imagined a turbine that didn’t rely on oversized bearings and fragile gearboxes, he wasn’t just solving a technical problem—he was confronting one of the greatest challenges in the floating offshore wind sector.
Today, that vision powers LIGHTWIND, a Horizon Europe-funded project. During this EU Green Week, LIGHTWIND proudly contributes to the European Green Deal by developing a revolutionary drivetrain for the next generation of floating wind turbines.
Why floating offshore wind is critical to Europe
More than 80% of offshore wind potential lies in waters deeper than 60 meters—depths unreachable for traditional bottom-fixed turbines. But floating offshore wind opens that door, especially in regions like the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Yet challenges remain: top-heavy nacelles, excessive repair costs, and complex installations. These factors limit the viability of large-scale offshore wind farms.
Read IRENA’s outlook on floating wind for global context.
LIGHTWIND’s breakthrough for the floating wind sector
The LIGHTWIND project tackles this with OptiGen, a patented, modular drive-train that:
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Replaces massive bearings with a wheel-rail support system
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Reduces nacelle weight by 35%
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Simplifies maintenance—no more costly tow-backs
This innovation unlocks floating offshore wind potential while decreasing use of rare earth materials and improving repairability.
Environmental and economic benefits of scaling floating wind
LIGHTWIND is more than an engineering project—it’s a sustainability solution.
Environmental gains
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Fewer turbines needed per GW installed = reduced seabed disruption
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Lower emissions due to less steel and fewer tow-backs
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Less use of rare earths thanks to stable air-gap architecture
Economic impact
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10% LCoE reduction vs. current 15 MW reference turbines
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Lower platform and component costs
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Expanded supply chains via modular, toleranced manufacturing
According to the European Commission, reaching 300 GW of offshore wind by 2050 will require €800 billion in investment—solutions like LIGHTWIND make this viable.
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