Energy Storage for Floating Wind Farm

In fall of last year the world’s first floating, offshore wind farm began producing energy. Called Hywind, the 30 megawatt plant has outperformed original expectations and currently provides renewable power to about 650,000 homes in the United Kingdom. Now, it has been coupled with battery storage to dynamically balance power between the offshore generators and an onshore substation.

The project, known as Batwind, integrates a one megawatt battery with a proprietary software package that instructs it when to store energy and for how long. It also controls when and how much power is injected into the grid. The goal is to make renewables smarter, more competitive, and more consistent in delivering power when and where it’s needed.

Hywind’s floating turbines extend more than 575 feet (176 meters) above the water, and are ballasted to float upright like a buoy. Although traditional fixed turbines are still more widely used, the potential for floating wind farms is huge. It has been estimated that up to 80 percent of potential offshore wind power is in deep water locations. The developers expect that more than 12 million homes will be powered by floating offshore generators by 2030.