Earth’s electricity needs could be met 11 times over if we filled our oceans with wind turbines. The problem is they’re too expensive to build in deep water. Could floating technology change that? Floating Wind Turbines: Cost Effective Energy for Earth?

Floating Wind Turbines: Cost Effective Energy for Earth?

With the world’s need for renewable energy growing, the idea of filling our oceans with wind turbines has been gaining traction. If this were possible, it could provide up to eleven times the energy needed to power the earth (Masci, 2019). Despite the potential, building wind turbines in deep ocean water is currently too costly and impractical. However, advances in floating technology may change that. Floating wind turbines are built on platforms that are tethered t the sea floor and use buoyancy to remain upright (Nguyen, 2020). This allows them to be placed in much deeper water than traditional wind turbines, opening up new areas for placement and thus increasing their efficiency. Furthermore, these turbines are significantly cheaper to construct, since they don’t require specialized machinery nor the heavy foundations of their traditional counterparts. Given the cost-effectiveness of floating wind turbines, there is great potential for them to be used to meet Earth’s energy needs. However, more research must be done to ensure that the turbines are safe and effective in the long-term. With further development, these innovative energy sources could one day be used to provide clean energy around the world. Cont…