Wind turbine technology has come a long way in the quarter of a century since the world ’ s first offshore wind farm , Denmark ’ s Vindeby , was installed . The first turbines placed at sea had a capacity of roughly . 45MW and stood just 52.5m tall . Manufacturers have since developed larger and more effective turbines , but innovation in wind energy is far from over .

Traditional ‘ fixed ’ turbines are limited to water depths of around 40 to 50m , mostly relegating offshore wind farms to the shallow waters of the continental shelf .

However , deploying turbines further offshore offshore , beyond 100m , could allow them to harvest energy from some of the strongest winds on the planet .

There are currently dozens of pilot projects trialling socalled ‘ floating ’ turbines — which consist of a wind turbine mounted on a buoyant structure — capable of generating electricity in depths where fixed towers could not be placed . Below , we ’ ve gathered the details of five promising floating wind projects that could very well revolutionise wind energy all over again .

The future of offshore wind energy is bobbing in the sea , just beyond the continental shelf …

Wind turbine technology has come a long way in the quarter of a century since the world ’ s first offshore wind farm , Denmark ’ s Vindeby , was installed . The first turbines placed at sea had a capacity of roughly . 45MW and stood just 52.5m tall . Manufacturers have since developed larger and more effective turbines , but innovation in wind energy is far from over .

Traditional ‘ fixed ’ turbines are limited to water depths of around 40 to 50m , mostly relegating offshore wind farms to the shallow waters of the continental shelf .

However , deploying turbines further offshore offshore , beyond 100m , could allow them to harvest energy from some of the strongest winds on the planet .

There are currently dozens of pilot projects trialling socalled ‘ floating ’ turbines — which consist of a wind turbine mounted on a buoyant structure — capable of generating electricity in depths where fixed towers could not be placed . Below , we ’ ve gathered the details of five promising floating wind projects that could very well revolutionise wind energy all over again .