Deep water wind turbines are key to unlocking the massive energy potential in Europe's Atlantic and Mediterranean seas and the deepest parts of the North Sea, a new report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) shows.
The report reveals that floating turbines in North Sea deep waters alone could power Europe four times over. Offshore wind in Europe could be providing 145 million households with renewable electricity and employing 318,000 people by 2030. This technology is cost-competitive with standard fixed-bottom offshore turbines from 50 metres water depth, the report finds. If the requirements are met, the first full-scale deep offshore wind farms could be producing power by 2017, up from the two floating turbines currently supplying electricity from European waters.
