Scotland Introduces The World's Largest Floating Wind Farm

Statoil, a Norwegian company has been granted a seabed lease for the construction of the Hywind Scotland wind farm by The Crown Estate, an organization that handles the Royal family's property. It will be set approximately 15 miles off the eastern coast of Scotland.

The wind farm features five six-megawatt turbines, which can generate power for 20,000 households. In 2009, there was a single turbine floating around the coast of Norway. On the other hand, the Hywind Scotland wind farm is the first multi-turbine project.

World’s Largest Floating #WindFarm to Open in #Scotland https://t.co/rDCrJ4pTeG pic.twitter.com/qm4rOtD3lS

— Brandsynario (@brandsynario) May 17, 2016

Leif Delp, the project director for the Hywind Scotland project said that they are very pleased to develop this project in Scotland, in a region with huge wind resources and an experienced supply chain from oil and gas. The company decided to lease the area and build the wind farm because of its potential of the wind power, according to Nature World News. Today, there are over 90 percent of the world's offshore wind capacity that is established in Europe. The wind farm in Scotland is the biggest in the world. A floating wind turbine is an offshore wind turbine that generates electricity in the depths of the waters. Furthermore, the wind is basically more consistent and stronger in the sea. Wind farms in the sea can reduce visual pollution and provides better accommodation for shipping and fishing lanes. The wind turbine is mounted on a floating structure.

Floating #offshorewind soon to be a reality in #Scotland . Five 6MW turbines to begin generating next year. https://t.co/s4BOXEktNt — Philip Warburg (@pwarburg) May 16, 2016

The Statoil's wind farm can operate at over 300 feet depth. The wind turbine is fastened to a steel tube that has a stabilizer attached to the seabed. This allows it to float.