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Project in Scotland leads new era of clean energy with floating wind turbines, revolutionizing the sector
Just 10 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland, five gigantic wind turbines, 190 meters high, rotate over the North Sea, generating enough clean electricity to power around 35.000 homes. This is the Kincardine project, the largest floating wind energy installation in the world, that is paving the way for a new era in clean energy production, according to the Ekkogreen website.
Innovation in the depths of the North Sea
Each of Kincardine's turbines is installed on floating foundations, a technology that allows it to be implemented in waters up to 80 meters deep. Unlike traditional foundations, which are fixed to the seabed, these foundations are anchored by cables, which facilitates installation in deeper water regions, previously inaccessible to wind energy.
This innovative technology, inspired by floating oil rigs from the 1960s, represents a new direction for offshore wind energy. Countries with a strong tradition in oil production, such as Norway, the United Kingdom and Italy are now also leading the development of floating wind energy.
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Comparison with traditional projects
Although the Kincardine project have a capacity of 50 megawatts, it is still modest when compared to projects like Hornsea 2, the largest fixed wind farm in the world, located off the Humber Estuary, which has the capacity to supply more than 1,4 million homes. The UK currently has 80 megawatts of floating wind capacity, the second largest in the world after Norway. However, the country is a global leader in fixed offshore wind energy, with 14 gigawatts installed.
The future of floating wind energy
The future promises significant expansion. Until 2030, the capacity of floating turbines in the United Kingdom is expected to reach 5 gigawatts, while fixed turbines are expected to reach 60 gigawatts, aligning with the British government’s targets to achieve net zero emissions. This expansion is essential to reduce the cost of energy and contribute to the country's sustainability objectives.
Recently, the Crown Estate requested proposals for three new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea, with the aim of accelerating the construction of these innovative facilities. Renewable UK, an industry association, projects that by the 2040s, more than half of UK offshore wind generation will come from floating turbines.
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