The world's first floating wind turbine is to be towed out to sea off Norway's coast this weekend, UPI reported. The Hywind, to be tested off shore for two years, is a 2.3 megawatt wind turbine that combines technologies from both the wind farming industry and the oil and gas sectors, BBC reported today. Alexandra Beck Gjorv of the energy company Statoil said the experiment "should help move offshore wind farms out of sight." She noted that winds are stronger and more consistent at sea. Floating wind farms could provide an additional source of energy for countries that have run out of space for their onshore wind farms, or where there is not enough wind on land, Gjorv added. "The global market for such turbines is potentially enormous, depending on how low we can press costs," she said.
