Wind Power’s New Frontier: Floating Turbines In Offshore Waters

A European venture will soon construct the world’s first floating wind power turbine. The project could open the way for large-scale offshore wind projects that harness higher winds on the high seas and pose less of an obstruction to inshore navigation and fishing. The company Blue H — registered in the U.K. but based in Holland — plans to anchor a prototype floating turbine 12 miles off the coast of southern Italy in late July. The floating turbines, which do not require the expensive stationary platforms now used in ocean wind farms, can be anchored using strong chains and weights but can be easily moved. Electricity generated by the turbines would be transferred onshore using undersea cables. Blue H said it intends to eventually build the floating wind platforms off the coasts of Scotland and the U.S. The company’s project could become part of a British government plan to build 5,000 offshore wind turbines that would generate a quarter of the U.K.’s electricity needs by 2030.