Floating offshore wind is a viable technology ready to be rolled out on an industrial scale with costs expected to plummet in the coming years, according to a report by WindEurope.
The report – ‘Floating Offshore Wind Vision Statement’ – said the sector’s costs could fall by 10% by 2020 and 25% by 2030.
It said that floating offshore wind has advantages over conventional offshore hardware because turbines can be located further away from shores in areas with higher average wind speeds without depth constraints.
Turbines can also be significantly larger on floating installations and construction, installation, operation and maintenance costs could be lower than on fixed sites, the report added.
WindEurope director for public affairs Ivan Pineda said: “Floating offshore wind is no longer an R&D exercise.
“The technology has developed rapidly in recent years and it is now ready to be fully commercialised at utility scale projects.”
The report was released today at the Offshore Wind Energy 2017 event in London.
Image: WindEurope
