Wind turbines are floating
Siemens German and Norwegian Stat oil Hydro have established the first batch of unique floating wind turbines, which are to generate electricity from wind power blowing in the ocean. We have installed turbines operating in test mode, the next two years in Norway , will explore the work of wind plants in the ocean, and then begin a large-scale deployment of windmills.
The company notes that marine wind turbines already exist in various locations around the world, but in most cases they are attached to the bottom and are stationary. StatoilHydro intends to use as a floating base pallet, which will be mounted wind turbines themselves.
In the meantime, turbines have some «ballast» in a network of underwater cables that carry electricity. Engineers say that in Norway there are turbines in the ocean, where the depth reaches 400 meters , although theoretically they can work in the oceans at a depth of 40 meters . From the shore turbines are removed at 12 km .
According to the developers, floating the concept has several advantages. First, such a platform can be moved to a more open and deep water regions, where the wind is usually much stronger, and secondly, the platform can constantly change their location.
In the new project company will invest about 400 million Norwegian crooners? The first batch of turbines has a total capacity of 2.3 megawatts. Windmills later are attached to the floating platform height of 65 meters .
«Adopting the mobile offshore wind turbines, we have a number of new features. Due to their mobility, we can always move them to the most wind regions, so that output was always close to the maximum », - says Alexandra Bech Gzhoev, head of research unit StatoilHydro.
The company said they are ready for widespread production and application of these turbines, but in the next 2 years to conduct studies on energy efficiency of new platforms.
Earlier in StatoilHydro says it plans to produce 170-meter high platform, each of which can provide electricity to 1000 private houses simultaneously.