Hywind, the world’s first 2.3 megawatt floating wind turbine built by State-controlled Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro in collaboration with Siemens, was towed to sea off Norway’s coast this weekend. The Hywind, with a rotor diameter the length of a football pitch, will be tested for two years to determine the feasibility of developing offshore wind farms that are “out of sight”. Floating turbines can alleviate problems associated with onshore wind farms such as military radar operations, bird life and tourism and present added benefits such as stronger, more consistent winds found at sea and power generating capabilities for countries with limited suitable land. According to BBC, “The global market for such turbines is potentially enormous”, depending on how low the costs are pressed.
Floating turbines connect to mainland grids through cables laid across the sea floor, with the cable length a major determinant in the cost of the setup. Although floating turbines currently cost substantially more than fixed ones, StatoilHydro is confident that this will change in the near future. The other factor that may help promote floating turbines is the impact of global warming on wind strength. A recent study conducted in several U.S. cities shows that climate change has resulted in considerably lower wind speeds over land and may result in a drop of up to thirty percent in onshore wind-power production.
You can watch the floating turbine being towed to sea in the video below.
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