Overview
Zephyros ONE, originally commissioned as the Hywind Demo, is recognised as the world’s first commercial floating offshore wind turbine. UNITECH acquired the platform in 2019 with the objective of improving capacity utilisation and extending operational lifetime, using the asset as a practical foundation for research, system validation, and lifecycle assessment within floating offshore wind.
Operational Development
Since acquisition, UNITECH applied a structured, programmatic approach to upgrading original systems and equipment. This work focused on improving operational reliability, refining maintenance strategies, and implementing enhancements intended to reduce downtime and extend the service life.
Twelve years after commissioning, in 2022 the platform achieved a verified 98% capacity utilisation, demonstrating that targeted upgrades and disciplined operational management can materially improve availability in floating wind systems.
Technical and Research Relevance
Zephyros ONE continues to generate significant datasets across mechanical, electrical, subsea, structural, and environmental domains. These datasets support:
- Assessment of long-term floating wind performance
- Cable and dynamic power export behaviour
- Mooring system response and fatigue modelling
- Operational and maintenance strategy development
- Validation of design assumptions used in contemporary floating wind concepts
Technical & Operational Significance
Zephyros ONE provides a long-term operational history under real offshore conditions providing a unique reference point for ongoing engineering, qualification, and systems design.
Proven floating wind platform with real-world operational data
- Foundation for qualification of dynamic power cables, umbilicals and subsea systems
- Large-scale engineering reference for design, mooring, installation and survivability
- Unique insight into lifecycle performance and load behaviour
- Unmatched early-mover dataset for companies entering or scaling in floating wind
Strategic Importance
The platform provides the world’s longest reference point for floating wind technology and contributes directly to UNITECH’s efforts to establish the equipment, methods, and system architectures required to launch floating offshore wind as an economically viable capacity-scale power genertor. It stands as the most influential engineering milestone in the development of the offshore renewable sector
Strategic Relevance
With floating wind now central to Europe’s and Asia’s renewable expansion, Zephyros One positions Unitech as one of the only organisations with tangible, long-term operational experience.
Commercial Value
The historical and technical dataset alone is extremely valuable to developers, OEMs, cable manufacturers, certification bodies, and defence/energy transition planning groups. Zephyros One also represents a branding and credibility asset that differentiates Unitech from all late entrants.
Why It Matters
This is not a model, a feasibility study, or a conceptual project. It is a unique renewable asset that sitting within an expanding offshore floating wind test centre that anchors UNITECH’s strategic value in supporting the international development of floating wind initiatives.
