According to Bloomberg, a floating wind turbine off the coast in northern Portugal began transmitting electricity to the grid- indicating a crucial step for a technology that can potentially increase the potential for offshore wind power.
Namely, it is said that the WindFloat Atlantic project is backed by European energy companies EDP Renovaveis SA, Engie SA as well as Repsol SA and uses the floating platform developed by Principle Power Inc.
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The three turbines with a combined 25-megawatt capacity will be connected, with the aim to help advance the economic viability of floating wind farms in the increasingly competitive market for renewable energy.
Specifically, the turbines in Portugal float 100 meters (328 feet) above the seafloor, which is about two-thirds deeper than the maximum depth of fixed offshore farms.
Notably, floating turbines could have a built-in advantage to traditional offshore platforms as they can be placed more readily and machines can operate in waters much deeper than the relatively shallow seabeds, as required to anchor stationary masts.
What is more, the 8.4-megawatt MHI Vestas turbine used in Portugal is the biggest by a floating project and close to the size preferred by the offshore wind industry’s leading developers.
In fact, bigger machines have enabled offshore wind growth in Europe by generating more power and shortening the payback period on investments.
Several companies such as Norway’s Equinor ASA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc have already invested in floating wind. Now, Bloomberg reports that France, South Korea and Japan have ambitions to grow low-carbon power supply. Also, limited areas with shallow seabed have the potential to be big markets for the technology.
Earlier this year, Engie and EDPR joined forces to develop offshore wind farms in the U.S. and Europe, with an ambition to become one of the top two developers by 2025.
Their action to develop floating wind technology could help them establish an early advantage in what could become a massive global market. Yet, according to BloombergNEF, due to the relatively higher cost of floating technology, gigawatt-scale developments probably won’t happen for at least the next decade.
