Posted on October 7, 2024
The world’s first semi-submersible wind farm is making waves with the incredible amount of energy it’s producing.
According to Interesting Engineering, WindFloat Atlantic, located off the coast of Portugal, was the first semi-submersible wind farm in the world. Built in 2020, the installation has blown past projections for output in its four years of operation, putting out 320 gigawatt-hours of energy in that time.
The wind farm provides power for 25,000 houses each year and prevents 33,000 tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide from being produced.
“We are proud to see that our project progresses each year toward having a more positive impact,” Jose Miguel Moreira Pinheiro, project director of WindFloat Atlantic, said in a statement, per Interesting Engineering.
WindFloat Atlantic consists of three floating platforms, each with a turbine on board. The platforms are semi-submerged and anchored to the sea floor using massive chains, allowing them to better withstand potential rough seas while staying in place.
Each platform is stabilized via a system of gates that fill with water at the base of the columns, allowing it to move and shift with the waves while staying fully upright. But WindFloat’s environmental impact extends beyond just providing clean energy to Portugal.
According to the platform’s managing firm, Ocean Winds, over 270 species successfully coexisted with the wind farm, with “no substantial negative effects on marine animals or endangered bird species.” On top of that, surveys have shown that the semi-submerged platforms foster undersea conservation efforts and the formation of coral reefs.
Wind power is booming in the United States and beyond; according to the Energy Information Administration, it accounted for 10.2% of power generated in the U.S. alone. New York state recently began construction on a new offshore wind farm just off the coast of Montauk.
Outside of the U.S., the United Kingdom has started to push wind power and is looking to install floating wind farms in the near future.
