WindEurope 2026: INF4INiTY Hosts Side Event
Exchanging ideas and building the future of floating offshore wind.
On 22 April 2026, INF4INiTY joined forces with FLOATFARM, MADE4WIND and TAILWIND at WindEurope 2026 in Madrid for a side event dedicated to Innovation, Sustainability, and Societal Impact of Offshore Wind.
Bringing together researchers, engineers and industry representatives from four European research projects, the session created a space to discuss what it will take to move floating offshore wind from technological innovation towards large-scale, sustainable deployment.
Watch the video below for highlights from the event and insights from the participating projects.
From innovation to implementation
The discussion explored three interconnected dimensions shaping the future of offshore wind:
- Driving down costs: Innovation and LCOE modelling to help make floating wind increasingly competitive.
- Offshore wind and the marine environment: Biodiversity, socio-environmental impacts and approaches to coexistence.
- Circular offshore wind: Rethinking materials, lifecycle considerations and low-impact design from the outset.
Rather than treating these as separate challenges, the session explored how engineering, environmental and societal considerations need to inform decision-making throughout the development of offshore wind.
The interactive format also gave participants the opportunity to exchange perspectives, ask questions and discuss how research and industry can work together to address these challenges
Speakers & Project Representatives
Gael Verao INF4INiTY · TU Braunschweig · LinKedIn Project coordinator. PhD in numerical modelling of wave energy converter arrays; research on cable trenching in floating offshore wind. |
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Balram Panjwani MADE4WIND · SINTEF · LinKedIn Senior research scientist, 15+ years in offshore wind. Coordinator of MADE4WIND, focused on scalable floating wind deployment. |
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Aligi Foglia TAILWIND · Norwegian Geotechnical Institute · LinKedIn Lead geotechnical engineer. Specialises in soil–structure interaction and foundation performance for offshore wind turbines. |
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Robert Behrens de Luna FLOATFARM · TU Berlin · LinKedIn Aeroelasticity and control co-design for floating wind. Leads full-system integration within FLOATFARM. |
Panelist
Christian Windt INF4INiTY · TU Braunschweig · LinKedIn Research group leader in Sustainable Ocean Engineering, covering marine renewables and aquaculture systems |
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Rafael Ruiz Maestre MADE4WIND · ACCIONA · LinKedIn Innovation project manager. Leads R&D on floating wind substructures, bridging research and real-world deployment. |
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Francesco Papi FLOATFARM · University of Florence · LinKedIn Assistant Professor in wind energy. Focuses on wind turbine simulation, design and optimization, with expertise in floating wind systems. |
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German Perez Moran TAILWIND · TECNALIA · LinKedIn Head of Offshore Renewables at TECNALIA. Telecommunications engineer from University of the Basque Country with extensive experience in electronic design for renewable energy systems. Specializes in offshore wind. |
Moderators
Markel Penalba INF4INiTY · Mondragon University · LinKedIn Head of Offshore Technologies & Aerodynamics lab. Research spans offshore renewables and green hydrogen integration. |
Alessandro Bianchini FLOATFARM · University of Florence · LinKedIn Associate professor, wind turbine aerodynamics. WP1 leader within FLOATFARM. |
The next phase of floating offshore wind will not be driven by isolated breakthroughs, but by alignment.
Alignment between technology and environment. Between research and industry. Between innovation and society.
The discussions at WindEurope 2026 highlighted the importance of bringing these perspectives together as floating offshore wind moves towards large-scale deployment.
By connecting four European research projects, the session provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge, explore shared challenges and identify synergies across ongoing research.
Thank you to all the speakers, panellists and participants who contributed to the discussion.
