From the US and Korea to Scotland and Portugal exciting things are happening in the world of wind energy. Instead of building offshore wind farms close to shore, the successful deployment of floating platforms for turbines is opening the vast ocean to renewable energy development. 

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) predicts commercial deployment of six gigawatts of floating wind energy generation by 2030. But how did we get to this point?

In this episode we will learn about the history of wind energy so far; we will learn about the move to offshore, and then the development of floating turbines; finally, we will learn about the changing policy landscape and how the sector developed market and investor confidence.

Photo courtesy of Principle Power. Artist: DOCK90

Guests

Cian Conroy, Senior Manager, Principle Power

Pablo Necochea, Lead Developer – Floating Offshore Wind, Vestas

Rebecca Williams, Director of COP26, Global Wind Energy Council