VIDEO: World’s first full-scale floating wind farm is being built just of the coast of north-east Scotland

World’s first full-scale floating wind farm is being built just of the coast of north-east Scotland

'This will further increase the global market potential for offshore wind energy'

Patrick Wernham Monday 24 July 2017

The first turbines sets sail Espen Rønnevik / Woldcam

Construction has begun on the world’s first full-scale floating wind farm, around 15 miles off the coast of north-east Scotland.

Five turbines will be installed, which together are expected to provide 30 megawatts of energy -  enough to power 20,000 homes. One of the turbines is currently in place, with the rest expected to be in place by the end of August.

Leif Delp, the director of the £190m project known as Hywind, said the objective was “to demonstrate the feasibility of future commercial, utility-scale wind farms.”

He added: “This will further increase the global market potential for offshore wind energy, contributing to realising our ambition of profitable growth in renewable energy and other low-carbon solutions.”

A pilot floating turbine device has been successfully operating in Norway since 2009.

Each turbine is 175m high and weighs 11,500 tonnes, using a large buoy to keep upright. The turbines also make use of new blade technology, which sees the blades twist in order to lessen the impact of wind and currents.

The park will be around four square kilometers in size, with each turbine floating at a depth of between 95 and 120 metres.

Unlike normal turbines, floating turbines are not attached to the seabed by foundations. Rather, they are attached by long mooring tethers, allowing them to be placed in water as deep as one kilometre. Traditional fixed turbines work best at a depth of 20-50m.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/world-first-wind-farm-floating-scotland-north-east-coast-north-sea-hywind-turbines-a7857866.html

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