The development of offshore wind technologies has made it possible to harvest wind energy at the sea, where the higher and steadier wind speeds allow more electricity to be produced than through wind turbines on land. Offshore wind is now a mature technology and it is an established
. Offshore wind farms are normally installed in shallow waters using bottom-fixed wind turbines. This limits the locations where offshore wind can be installed, leaving larger and deeper areas with a high wind potential untapped. Floating offshore wind offers new possibilities to overcome this challenge and contribute to the further expansion of renewable energy worldwide.
Floating offshore wind: a promising new energy source
The floating offshore wind industry is still in the early stages of development, with approximately 321 megawatts of
floating offshore wind capacity installed across the globe. With sizes for an offshore wind turbine reaching an
average tip height of 300 meters and a
rotor diameter of roughly 280 meters in 2023, the installation and maintenance of floating structures to sustain offshore turbines remains a challenging process. However, the technology is expected to mature and reach commercial viability in the next years, and installations are forecast to grow rapidly worldwide.
Europe runs ahead in the floating offshore pipeline
As of the end of 2023, the
global floating offshore pipeline surpassed 100 gigawatts, with most of the planned projects located in Europe, the United States, and Oceania. The U.S. was the
country with the largest prospective capacity, with more than 22 gigawatts in the site control and planning stages. However, European countries had the highest operating capacities and projects in earlier stages of development. For instance, Norway had over 100 megawatts of
floating wind capacity installed, and Sweden had roughly 6.2 gigawatts of floating offshore installation in the permitting stage.
The future of floating offshore wind
With the large amount of floating offshore wind projects in the pipeline, the next years will see gradual increases in
floating offshore capacity additions. By 2029, floating wind is forecast to reach an
installed capacity of more than 14 gigawatts, up from 4.5 gigawatts a year earlier. The United Kingdom and Italy are expected to have by far the most
floating offshore installations among countries worldwide in 2029, with both countries surpassing four gigawatts of operating capacity. Floating wind is on track to become an important renewable energy source around the world, broadening the potential of offshore wind power and contributing to the green energy transition.
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