Floating projects
Floating wind turbines have not been commercially implemented yet on a large scale, but recent developments and succesful prototyping have shown that floating wind farms indeed have a high potential in the energy market of tomorrow.
Below the key players in the industry and their products will be further elucidated.
Below the key players in the industry and their products will be further elucidated.
Blue H Technologies of the Netherlands operated the first floating wind turbine, a prototype deep-water platform with an 80-kilowatt turbine off Puglia, southeast Italy in 2008. Installed 21 km off the coast in waters 113 meters deep in order to gather test data on wind and sea conditions, the small prototype unit was decommissioned at the end of 2008.
The Blue H technology utilized a tension-leg platform design and a two-bladed turbine. The two-bladed design can have a "much larger chord, which allows a higher tip speed than those of three-bladers.
As of 2009, Blue H was building a full-scale commercial 2.4 MWe unit in Brindisi, Italy which it expected to deploy at the same site of the prototype in the southern Adriatic Sea in 2010. This is the first unit in the planned 90 MWTricase offshore wind farm, located more than 20 km off the Puglia coast line.
The Blue H technology utilized a tension-leg platform design and a two-bladed turbine. The two-bladed design can have a "much larger chord, which allows a higher tip speed than those of three-bladers.
As of 2009, Blue H was building a full-scale commercial 2.4 MWe unit in Brindisi, Italy which it expected to deploy at the same site of the prototype in the southern Adriatic Sea in 2010. This is the first unit in the planned 90 MWTricase offshore wind farm, located more than 20 km off the Puglia coast line.
A fullscale demonstration Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) Unit, the Hywind Demo, has been successfully in operation 10 km off the Norwegian westcoast since 2009.
During the four years of testing, the WTG Unit has been verified as a technically viable concept and Statoil is now planning to develop a Pilot Park which will be used to demonstrate technological improvements, operation of multiple units, and cost reductions in a park configuration as the next step towards achieving the long term vision for developing floating wind on a commercial scale.
During the four years of testing, the WTG Unit has been verified as a technically viable concept and Statoil is now planning to develop a Pilot Park which will be used to demonstrate technological improvements, operation of multiple units, and cost reductions in a park configuration as the next step towards achieving the long term vision for developing floating wind on a commercial scale.
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In October 2011, Principle Power's WindFloat prototype was installed 4 km offshore of Aguçadoura, Portugal in approximately 45 meters of water. The WindFloat was fitted with a Vestas V80 2.0MW offshore wind turbine and grid connected. The installation was the first offshore wind turbine to be deployed without the use of any offshore heavy lift vessels as the turbine was fully commissioned onshore prior to the unit being towed offshore. Additionally this is the first offshore wind turbine installed in open Atlantic waters and make use of a semi-submersible type floating foundation.
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