USA and Britain to collaborate on deep-water wind power technology

• 12 years ago (2012-04-24)
• David Flin

North America 998 Renewables 752

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Britain and the USA have announced that they will jointly fund development work on offshore wind generation technologies that can be deployed in waters as much as 150 m deep, with the intention of opening vast new areas of ocean to development.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and his British counterpart Edward Davey said that their departments would collaborate on ways to spur development of floating platforms for offshore wind turbines that can be stationed in depths greater than 60 m, the limit for traditional structures fixed to the seabed. Davey said: “Turbines will be able to locate in ever deeper waters where the wind is stronger, but without the expense of foundations down to the seabed.”

Britain is offering $40 million to contractors who can demonstrate floating offshore wind technology, and will pick winners of the funds next year. The programme seeks turbines that can generate as much as 7 MW by 2016. The USA has offered $180 million for four demonstration projects, one of which may include a floating wind power system.

The pact is the first in a series of agreements that the British government plans to sign with some of the 23 countries represented at the current Clean Energy Ministerial meeting in London.