Hywind – The Floating Windmill

The world’s first full-scale floating windmill has reached its final destination, ten kilometres southwest of Karmøy, where it has been moored to the seabed.

Not in terms of sea charts – the Norwegian energy giant StatoilHydro knows these waters well, having spent the past 30 years drilling for oil and gas here – but in terms of technology.

Statoil has constructed the world’s first full-scale floating wind turbine a couple of hours by catamaran from the oil town Stavanger, in the hope that one day vast wind farms could be constructed far offshore in water depths of up to 700m.

The Hywind concept combines known technologies in a completely new setting

and opens up the possibility for the wind industry to capture the wind energy

within deep water environments.

The floating structure consists of a steel jacket filled with ballast. This floating

element will extend 100 metres beneath the surface and will be fastened to

the seabed by three anchor piles.

The Hywind concept combines known technologies in a completely new setting and opens up the possibility for the wind industry to capture the wind energy within deep water environments. The floating structure consists of a steel jacket filled with ballast. This floating element will extend 100 metres beneath the surface and will be fastened to the seabed by three anchor piles.