First floating wind farm to be installed in Scotland
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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The first thing that comes to mind with the words "floating wind turbine" is huge installations on the seabed, which can already be found in a number of countries. But there is some difference, the usual wind power stations are located at a shallow depth and fixed on the seabed. Such turbines have become widespread in the last few years, but wind turbine turbines are fixed with a cable and do not attach to the seabed, until recently such turbines were used only during testing.
But it is likely that the situation will change in the near future, since the floating wind farm is capable of operating at a considerable depth, unlike conventional fixed turbines, and also allows to obtain a lower cost of wind energy and to increase the area of possible installation.
Norway's Statoil recently received approval for testing the floating wind farm, which is planned to be installed off the Scottish coast. According to calculations, the energy produced should be enough to provide 20,000 homes, and this project has already received a license for installation from the government of Scotland.
The installation will take more than 20 kilometers on the coast of one of the largest ports of Peterhead city, which is located in the North Sea, it will include 5 floating turbines, with a capacity of 6,000 kW, which will produce 135 million kilowatt hours each year. Of course, these figures are insignificant, compared to 10 million kilowatts produced by the UK wind farm, but the very fact that the turbines will work at a depth of more than 100 meters is of great importance.
The company on the problems of reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere of the UK noted that by installing a floating wind farm for 35 years, it is possible to get from 8 to 16 million kilowatts of wind power for use for the needs of the country. Experts also believe that within 10 years it is possible to significantly improve the turbines and reduce the cost of energy production (less than $ 150 per 100 kilowatts, today the cost of wind energy is more than $ 200).
The head of the World Wildlife Fund noted that the introduction of a floating wind farm will allow receiving environmentally friendly energy for the needs of the population. If the project receives the necessary political support for the development of various renewable technologies, then in 15 years Scotland can become the first country in the European Union that fully meets the energy needs of the population through renewable energy sources.
This rather loud statement makes Scotland a competitor to Sweden, whose government intends to become the first country independent of fossil fuel sources. The Swedish government last month announced its progress in this direction.
Over the next year, the country's budget includes more than 500 million, which will go to renewable energy sources, in addition, part of the money will be spent on activities that hinder climate change.
According to the information agency Bloomberg in the country a year ago it was transferred to low-carbon and clean sources of 2/3 of electric power production, also in 5 years Sweden intends to reduce by 40% the amount of harmful emissions.