Portugal at the forefront of floating wind turbines – United Nations
Portugal is the installation, with Scotland, a pioneer in the expansion of turbine and floating parks, which will allow the globalization of maritime energy. This type of energy is suitable for countries with coastal areas and plays a role in the transition to clean energy supply.
In July 2020, the 25 MW floating offshore wind platform – WindFloat Atlantic – installed on the outskirts of Viana do Castelo, started to supply electricity. The park has three Vestas turbines and was designed to generate energy for about 60.0 million users, identical to the emission of 1.1 million CO2 into the atmosphere. In its first year of operation, WindFloat Atlantic reached 75 GWh, enough to supply 60,000 inhabitants.
In February 2022, at the conference “Generate Energy for the World and Preserve the Planet”, in Lisbon, specialists consider this alternative as a solution to generate clean energy in Portugal. Tiago Pitta e Cunha, from the Oceano Azul Foundation, defends “offshore wind energy is especially relevant for Portugal, which is currently dependent on fossil fuels, without having renewable energy alternatives”.
clean energy in scotland
The first floating wind farm was installed in 2017 in Peterhead, Scotland, and has Norwegian technology. The sequential farm consists of five turbines with a total capacity of 30 MW, and reached an average capacity factor of 57.1% in 2021. The Hywind farm has been the UK’s top performing offshore wind farm for three years.
Also in Scotland, the Kincardine floating wind farm in Aberdeen is considered the largest in the world. It has six turbines, totaling 50 MW. Estimate of which countries this project would feed 50,000 and could achieve other more useful maritime aid objectives.
Advantages of offshore wind energy
These parks can be considered successful examples of an emerging market. Floating wind power can attract countries to create their own initiatives. This initiative will help not only in the green transition, but also in the economies and well-being of African countries, for example, which have large coastal areas.
This energy ends up generating more fuel than the larger wind turbines, due to the wind speed in the seas. There is also the issue of space and visuals. In this case, it is not necessary to occupy land that could disturb the populations.
Offshore wind farms have a fixed structure that has been limiting the use of low-depth locations as turbines. However, countries will not exist as turbines anchored on the seabed, it opens up the possibility of more being able to use them, creating a market without barriers.
Importance of energy
Fossil fossils, such as oil and coal, have been, in recent years, the main source of energy. This human activity has an impact on nature and the environment.
According to United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), is the factor that most contributes to the changes, accounting for about 60% of the total global influence of greenhouse gases. In parallel, 3 billion people depend on wood, charcoal, vegetable or animal waste for farming and their homes.
With Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), Renewable and Affordable Energies, it is intended to increase the use of renewable energy in the global context. The environment, which provides several renewable energy options, brings us, through the wind, a source that can be used on land and at sea. Floating wind turbines are part of a greener future.