World’s first floating wind farm starts powering electricity into energy grid
The world’s first floating wind farm has officially opened off the east coast of Scotland, delivering renewable electricity into the national grid for the first time.
The Hywind project, located 15 miles off the shore of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, has the ability to power around 20,000 homes by capitalising on the North Sea’s high winds.
The wind farm consists of five giant floating turbines installed over a 2.5 square mile patch of water, which are tethered to the sea bed by cables.
Rising 175 metres above the sea and extending 78 metres below the surface, the turbines are almost as tall as the Queensferry Crossing over the Firth of Forth.
Computers in the wind farm constantly monitor the turbines, altering the pitch of the blades to dampen the motion of the tower and maximise energy production.
The project has been developed by Norwegian state energy firm Statoil with the help of Scottish companies and has taken more than 15 years to complete.
Hywind was opened yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said the project would boost Scotland’s “international reputation” for modern and renewable energy technologies.
“In addition to the green benefits of renewable energy, it also has a very significant contribution to make to our economy,” Ms Sturgeon added.
“I’m pleased Scottish suppliers have contributed to the Hywind project from the development through to the production phase and are still involved to investigate longterm potential for floating wind.”
It is hoped advances in offshore wind technology will drive down emissions and boost the economy by creating jobs, as well as reducing the need for more intrusive land-based turbines. Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said Scotland was “the windiest country in Europe” and also had some of the deepest waters, making it perfectly placed to capitalise on the new technology.
The average wind speed in the North Sea is about ten metres per second, meaning the turbines can consistently generate more electricity than those on land.
Statoil executive vice-president Irene Rummelhoff said the turbines could be placed in water that was 800m deep – areas previously out of bounds for offshore wind.
The company said it was confident the high costs associated with offshore floating wind power would fall over the next decade.
The onshore operations base for Hywind is in Peterhead, but its operations centre is in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. Multi-award-winning equity release specialist Age Partnership can help homeowners decide if equity release is right for them, how much they can release and what impact it could have on the size of their estate including their entitlement to means-tested benefits now, or in the future. Any money released, plus accrued interest would be repaid upon death, or moving into long-term care. Equity Release may involve a home reversion plan or a lifetime mortgage which is secured against your property. To understand the features and risks, ask for your personalised illustration. They provide initial advice for free and without obligation. Only if you choose to proceed and your case completes would a typical fee of 2.2% of the amount released be payable. You only continue to own your own home with a lifetime mortgage.