Weatherwatch: floating wind farms – the power source of the future

Giant turbines operating from anchored rafts can harness strong offshore winds

Offshore wind farm potential is enormous. They are no longer limited to shallow water but can operate from anchored rafts - and the size and output of the turbines keeps increasing.

Less than a decade ago turbines of three megawatts (MW) were the new giants - now the industry is installing 10mMW machines, and designs for 15 to 20MW are ready. The newest turbines will be 150 metres high with a rotor diameter of 240 metres - that is the length of more than two football pitches.