Hywind, a full scale floating wind turbine is being made by Statoil Hydro
The wind turbine will be tested over a two year period off the coast of Karmoy in Norway. The company are intending to spend about 80 million dollars on this project and according to plans, construction will start in the autumn of 2009 Normal. It is being built not far from where I live, so I am planning on taking a trip to see how things are going. The rotor blades on the wind turbine will be 80 meters in diameter and the nacelle will rise 65 meters over the surface of sea. The floatation element will have a draft of some 100 meters below the sea surface and will be fastened to the seabed using three anchor points. A model three-meter high has already been made and tested successfully in SINTEF, Marintek’s wave simulator in Trondheim. They say floating wind turbines can make a massive contribution in providing the world with clean power, but as with other technologies for renewable energy, floating wind power will be dependent on incentive schemes to be viable. The cylindrical support section for the world’s first full-scale floating wind turbine arrived in the Åmøy Fjord near Stavanger on the evening of 23 April 2009. To tow the 1,500-ton structure from the fabrication yard in the Finnish port of Pori, to Amoy Fjord has taken just over five days. The hull was towed horizontally, but will now be ballasted down and turned through 90 degrees to bring it into a vertical position. The wind turbine will probably be ready in June for tow-out to its final destination north of Stavanger and 10 kilometres south-west of Karmøy. I have received some latest news that the project ahead of schedule. The pilot project combines technology from both the Wind and Oil&Gas industry and draws upon expertise from Statoil Hydro’s longstanding offshore experience. The test period will start in the autumn of 2009 and will last for two years. Please return to this page to get updates on this amazing project.
|
