The need for a fast transition towards electricity generation pushed large investments in highrisk, high-impact technologies such as floating Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES), which are expected to be highly cost efficient with respect to state-of-the-art offshore wind energy technology. Current research on the matter does not address the design challenge of a tailored floater, necessary to suit at most the unique features of such systems, and foster their industrial and commercial development. The goal of this study is to review the available solutions from traditional floating offshore wind energy systems, and hence to propose a straightforward concept, adapted from current designs, for the deployment of AWESs. Moreover, to provide insights on how the geometrical parameters influence its motion response, a sensitivity study is performed, testing different design solutions against a wave scatter. In view of a cost-effective solution, a spar-like concept, adapted to the specific needs of AWESs, is proposed. The sensitivity analysis suggests the need to adopt aspect ratio larger than 4 to effectively mitigate the pitch response; in addition, heave response emerges as a possible design constraint with large impact on the device’s costs.

This study presents an experimental investigation focusing on the performance of a taut mooring systems for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) under accidental limit state scenarios. These tests are part of the data obtained during the experimental campaign conducted at the Ship Hydromechanics Laboratory of Delft University of Technology, aimed to assess the behavior of FOWTs under various conditions, including operating, extreme, and failure scenarios. All the data related to the experiments are freely downloadable from this link. The experimental analysis conducted in this work focuses on simulating various failure scenarios, such as the rupture of mooring lines and turbine blade actuators considering two different mooring configurations. Results show that in such scenarios, taut mooring systems possess design characteristics that mitigate the risk of additional damage to the floating system and underscores the importance of understanding and mitigating risks associated with accidental limit states in offshore platforms, particularly by optimizing mooring configurations and materials to enhance overall safety and resilience.