More floating wind projects to come
Due to the success of the two floating wind projects launched in October, it is expected that more will open in the future.
Statoil launched the world’s first floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland on 18 October that will generate 30MW of energy, enough to power 20,000 homes.
In France, the 2MW Floatgen facility was launched on the Atlantic Coast, which was the country’s first offshore wind farm.
Now commercial floating wind farms are planned to be commissioned in the UK, Ireland, France, and Portugal.
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It is expected that wider deployment will lead to lower costs because of projects profiting from installation experience, economies of series, and the rise in confidence from investors.
In recent years, the cost bottom fixed offshore wind (BFOW) has been driven down, but they are not suitable for the depths of 60 meters where 80% of offshore wind resources are.
According to WindEurope, this means that 4TW of offshore capacity can only be supplied by floating projects.
“Floating offshore wind is expected to play a significant role in the growth of offshore wind going forward,” reported Irene Rummelhoff, Executive Vice President of Statoil’s New Energy Solutions division.
Statoil plans to reduce the cost of power generated from floating projects to between €40 and €60 (US$46 and $70) by 2030.