Most offshore wind turbines today are fixed to the seabed, in waters less than 60 meters deep.
But winds are stronger and more consistent further out to sea. Around 80% of the world’s offshore wind resource potential is in waters deeper than 60 meters.
Floating wind turbines could be the next big renewables market
The next generation of offshore wind turbines is designed to float further out to sea, where winds are much stronger.
A Norwegian Greentech company Wind Catching Systems (WCS) recently unveiled its ground-breaking Windcatcher floating offshore wind turbine array.
‘Wind Catcher’ is a 1,000-foot (324m) Tall floating wind turbine array. It comprises a large metal frame with over 100 small turbines mounted on it. This frame sits on a floating platform that could be moored to the ocean floor.
The offshore wind turbine array also has double the swept area in comparison to a conventional 15 MW wind turbine
This great innovation could help power as many as 80,000 homes while saving the land
Although the investment required is more than compared to land-based wind power installation. But these arrays will have a lifespan of 50 years which will make them significantly cost-effective than conventional turbines.
