Floating turbine

and

have installed the world's first large-scale floating wind turbine approximately 12km south east of Karmøy in Norway.

The turbine is part of the Hywind project developed by StatoilHydro. Siemens supplied the SWT-2.3MW wind turbine and Technip, under contract with StatoilHydro, supplied the floating structure, made up of a steel floater filled with ballast, extending 100m beneath the surface and fastened to the seabed by three anchor wires.

The Hywind turbine has a rotor diameter of 82m and can be installed in water depths of between 120-700m. According to Siemens, its floating concept could pave the way for new possibilities in offshore wind-turbine technology by allowing turbines to be placed more freely at sea.

Both companies have worked together to develop the control system for the turbine to address the special operating conditions of a floating structure. In particular, the control system makes use of the turbine's ability to reduce part of the wave-induced motions of the floating system.