First Large-Scale Floating Wind Turbine Buoyed Off Norway

Filed Under: Green Technology on June 19, 2009

Siemens and StatoilHydro have teamed up and installed teh first large-scale, floating wind turbine. The installation is the first of several planned for the waters off the coast of Norway. The two companies will be testing the idea over the next two years to find out if the idea is viable.

While off-shore wind turbines are not new, they are usually anchored to the sea bed or attached to objects that are so anchored (like offshore drilling rigs). This is the first floating turbine of large size to be put out to sea.

The project, called a Hywind turbine, is tied to the sea floor via cables, but is not anchored into the seabed itself. So it can move some, but not far and will go up and down with the ocean waves. Wires connect the unit to the mainland power grid and the turbine is expected to begin adding to the grid in July.

If this project is successful, this could be a much cheaper, faster way to build offshore wind farms. It is especially suited to those countries whose shores drop quickly, so the prospect of drilling into the seabed to anchor a permanent installation is not viable.

This Hywind turbine is almost 7 and a half miles from shore and is floating in waters that are about 720 feet deep. The hub is 100 feet off the sea’s level and the turbine is capable of generating up to 2.3 megawatts of electricity. A specially-designed control system dampens the wave motions that might affect the turbine’s performance.

Pretty awesome!