Floating Wind Turbines  

Renewables Offshore has a post on floating offshore wind turbines, pointing to this article at BusinessGreen on StatoilHydro's plans to slash the cost of offshore wind farms.

Floating offshore wind platforms is an idea that's been bobbing around the industry for some time. Floating platforms would allow developers to site projects beyond the viewshed, thereby eliminating aesthetics as an objection to a proposed offshore farm. Since most of the technology for floating platforms comes from the oil industry, it's not entirely surprising that Norwegian energy giant Statoil is investing in a 2.3 MW floating wind project 10 kilometers off the coast of Norway, according to this Business Green story.

The story points out that floating platforms might potentially reduce the cost of offshore wind since the technoogy is more effective than current practices for mooring large turbines to the sea bed. And installing floating platforms might also pose fewer disruptions to the environment during the construction phase of the project.

Floating platforms might also help a country like Scotland realize aspirations of offshore wind. As this
Red Orbit article describes, while Scotland may have the will for offshore turbines at this time, the country may not have the way. According to the article, Scotland's water depth drop quickly right off the coast and are too deep for extensive offshore wind development, at least with today's technologies.