Think of the possibilities of having deep water floating wind turbines to generate energy. Are they feasible? According the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, the answer is ‘yes’.
Engineers from the Marine Innovation and Technology have demonstrated that their buoyant, triangular platform which is called the WindFloat, could support a 5-megawatt wind turbine. They have conducted studies to determine whether the platform would stay erect. The platform was anchored to the ocean floor (at 164ft of depth), balanced with horizontal plates and a ballast system to counteract the motion of the ocean. The end result? The prototype did not topple.
That is good news for many. There are other similar projects in the works, but the possibility to see a 150 megawatt floating wind farm based on the WindFloat technology is now a distinct possibility. The projected date of installation is in 2012.
