Wind turbines usually consist of one turbine with a set of blades, but Norway’s Wind Catching Systems thinks its floating multi-turbine offshore wind technology will make clean energy more efficiently.
The 320m tall (1,050ft) unit - that’s about the same height as the Eiffel Tower - is made up of a matrix of beams that supports around 115 turbines. Each turbine has a diameter of around 30m (98ft). The pilot project will be installed at Norway’s Mehuken wind park, on the west coast, this year.
Wind Catching Systems asserts that its floating technology can generate five times the annual energy of the world’s largest single turbines because it has double the swept area of a conventional 15 megawatt wind turbine. The company also says that its huge floating wind turbine unit could be used to power as many as 80,000 homes.
ENOVA, a government-owned company that works to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in Norway, thinks Wind Catching Systems is onto something, as it has just topped up its pre-project grant to the company to $3m.
We’ll keep an eye on how this pilot performs when it’s up and running, and keep you posted.
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