Excerpt from bbc.com
Sixteen miles (26km) off the windswept coast of northern Scotland, the future of renewable energy is taking shape. Rotating rhythmically in the breeze, the five colossal turbines of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, bar one major difference – they’re floating.
While conventional offshore turbines sit atop metal and concrete towers fixed into the seabed, Hywind’s turbines rest on buoyant steel keels that bob with the waves. Carefully balanced, they remain upright despite the undulating conditions. This simple sounding, yet devilishly complex design is changing the way green developers view offshore wind.
It could prove to be an important development as the world strives to meet the net zero carbon emission targets that countries committed to in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The energy sector as a whole currently accounts for around three quarters of all the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity.
To cut those emissions, green electricity will need to be at the core source of global energy, according to the International Energy Agency. It says that by 2040, half of the world’s energy needs will have to be met by electricity produced in a net zero way.