The system aimed to demonstrate how renewable energy and aquaculture can operate together efficiently within shared maritime space - the first time such a system has been tested in the Atlantic.
Photo: AquaWind
A European project led from the Canary Islands has completed 45 months of work testing whether floating offshore wind and aquaculture can be combined on a single open-sea platform.
The AquaWind project, which was 80% funded by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, held its final event on 5 May 2026 at the Elder Museum of Science and Technology in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
According to the consortium, the project has shown in real sea conditions that offshore renewable energy and fish farming can be integrated on the same structure. Its main trial involved installing a prototype at Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) test site in the Atlantic, bringing together EnerOcean’s W2Power dual-turbine floating wind platform and an automated aquaculture pen fitted with monitoring systems.
The trial used gilthead sea bream juveniles to assess fish behaviour, while also gathering data on structural resilience and interactions with the marine environment. The platform was exposed to difficult conditions, including storms that produced waves of up to 6.5 metres.
The project consortium also reported that the offshore fish trials found that fish reared in the more dynamic offshore environment showed higher protein and lower fat content.
Speakers at the final event said the project had moved the concept beyond modelling and simulations by operating a working prototype offshore. The consortium has also explored designs involving higher-value species, including greater amberjack.
AquaWind’s partners said the work had helped build evidence on the environmental and social effects of multi-use offshore platforms. According to project findings, combining activities at sea could help optimise marine space and reduce pressure on coastal areas, although wider adoption will depend on regulation and public acceptance.
The project gathered more than 120 responses from stakeholders in the Canary Islands through surveys and interviews. The consortium said the feedback suggested local stakeholders tended to view the concept as an economic opportunity rather than a source of conflict.
AquaWind has also launched an anonymous post-demonstration survey, inviting stakeholders and members of the public to give their views following the prototype deployment, which will feed into its final environmental and social impact assessments.
The AquaWind prototype and some members of the project team pictured at the ASTICAN shipyard, Las Palmas harbour, Gran Canaria, during the final testing phase before offshore deployment last year.