Floating offshore wind is entering a crucial and exciting stage. Moving from pilots to commercially-planned projects, this technology —still in the megawatt scale— is set to become a sizzling market expected to surpass 1 GW in annual installations by 2026, as per the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). By 2030, it is expected to account for 6.1% of global wind projects, a massive increase from the current 0.1%.
In this outlook, what are the drivers behind such breakthrough? What challenges is floating offshore wind facing on its way to reach a development similar to that of bottom-fixed offshore?
As the world continues to embrace renewable energy, wind power has emerged as one of the leading clean power sources. While traditional wind turbines are limited to shallow waters where they can be fixed to the seabed, floating offshore wind technology is allowing turbines to be placed in deeper waters where winds are stronger —hence opening up a new frontier with the potential to significantly increase the amount of energy.