The world’s first floating wind farm was located in the stormy waters of the North Sea, about 15 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Five wind turbines rise above the water surface, reaching a height of 175 meters. The Norwegian company Equinor started operating the 30-megawatt facility only recently, in 2017. However, they have already succeeded in break British energy production records. Approximately 20,000 households can power it.
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Floating turbines have a great advantage over most offshore wind turbines. Unlike them, they are not limited by sea depth. They are attached to the bottom only by anchor lines, while most offshore wind turbines stand on solid foundations and thus cannot be placed at a depth greater than approximately 50 meters. Huge structures of floating turbines are created on land, and are then pulled out to sea by boats.
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The possibility of installing turbines in greater depths opens up new horizons in obtaining as much wind energy as possible in the ocean, explains the British daily in its article. The Guardian. This is because a stronger wind blows further from the coast. Almost 80% of the potential offshore wind energy should come from these places.
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The possibility of placing turbines further from the coast also has another undeniable advantage. Floating turbines are not visible from land and do not spoil the sea view, unlike conventional offshore turbines. It is this aspect of ocean renewable energy production that many have complained about in the past.
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However, the floating turbine system is still a relatively new technology that is not yet very widespread in obtaining renewable offshore wind energy. However, experts believe that in the future, this system could become an important part of the renewable energy mix. However, he will have to deal with many obstacles. These include high costs and the related issue of design or the loud disapproval of fishermen.
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One of the biggest problems remains the price. The cost of generating offshore wind energy using floating turbines is almost double that of solid turbines. In the future, however, technological progress is expected to reduce them. The costs of both devices could equal around 2030, estimates the US National Laboratory for Renewable Energy Sources (NREL).
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According to some experts, reducing costs is also made more difficult by the large number of different designs for anchoring floating turbines. “I’ve lost track of how many concepts actually exist,” he told Pro The Guardian After Wen Cheng, who leads studies on wind energy at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. “Ford has failed to make the car affordable for the masses by producing 30 types of cars – only the T model. If we really want to reduce costs, we cannot tolerate so many different concepts,” he added.
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Fishermen also expressed their concerns. They fear that offshore wind farms could get in their way and collide with their equipment. According to them, this could lead to a significant disruption of fishing areas or even a threat to their livelihoods.
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Floating wind turbines are not only installed in the UK by their waters, but also by Norway, Portugal, South Korea and Japan. The United States has traditionally lagged behind Europe in offshore wind energy. But that should change in the future. The US Department of Energy has said it has invested more than $ 100 million in research and development of floating offshore wind technology and plans to become a leader in the sector.
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“Wind is without a doubt a major part of the solution to the transition to carbon neutrality,” said on Michael Webber, Energy Expert and Professor of Engineering at the University of Texas. According to him, floating wind turbine systems will not play a big role in the near future. It will take some time before it takes effect, Webber believes. According to him, the generation of wind energy from land or with the help of turbines, which stand on solid foundations on the seabed, will dominate in the next decade.
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