Norway sees world's first large floating wind turbine

StatoilHydro and Siemens have installed the world’s first large-scale floating wind turbine in about 220 metres of water some 12 kilometres southeast of Karmøy in Norway.

The Hywind project was developed by StatoilHydro, and Siemens supplied the SWT-2.30-megawatt wind turbine, which has a rotor diameter of 82 metres.

Over the next two years, the turbine will be tested to provide a thorough analysis of the floating wind concept. The Hywind turbine will be connected to the local grid and is expected to start producing power in mid-July.

Hywind is designed to be suitable for installation in water depths between 120 to 700 metres, which could open up new possibilities for offshore wind turbine technology. Currently, existing offshore turbines are mounted firmly on the seabed. However, foundations become very expensive at water depths of more than 30 to 50 metres. Such costs could limit the large-scale exploitation of offshore wind power, particularly in countries with little or no shallow-water areas near the coastline.

“Hywind could open for new opportunities for exploitation of offshore wind power, as the turbines could be placed much more freely than before,” said Henrik Stiesdal, CTO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit.

StatoilHydro and Siemens have jointly developed a special control system for the Hywind turbine to address the special operating conditions of a floating structure. In particular, the advanced control system takes advantage of the turbine’s ability to dampen out part of the wave-induced motions of the floating system.

“Just as when we built the world’s first offshore wind farm 18 years ago, this project has its particular challenges,” said Stiesdal. “We have created an advanced system that we trust will be capable of managing the special operating conditions of the floating turbine.”