Sixteen miles off the coast of northern Scotland, the future of green energy is taking shape. The five giant turbines (涡轮机) of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, except one major difference — they’re floating.
While traditional offshore turbines sit on metal and concrete towers fixed into the seabed, Hywind’s turbines rest on floating frames that move up and down with the waves. It proves to be an important development as the world struggles to meet the net zero carbon emission (排放) targets set in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
To cut those emissions, green electricity will need to be at the main source of global energy, according to the International Energy Agency. It says that by 2040, half of the world’s energy needs will have to be met by electricity produced in a net zero way. Projects like Hywind’s floating wind farm offer a picture of what the future could look like.
The reasons for this can be listed as follows. Firstly, unlike fixed units, floating turbines can operate in deep waters far from the shoreline, where winds tend to be stronger. Secondly, it can serve offshore areas that are too deep for bottom-fixed turbines. “In places like Korea, Japan and California, you can only manage a certain amount of offshore wind, or maybe even none at all, so floating turbines are the only option in the longer term,” explains Henrik Steisdal, a Danish inventor at the forefront of floating wind innovation.
While floating turbines overcome some of the problems that make offshore wind farms in deep waters impossible, there are still challenges that have to be overcome. There are some concerns about what effect floating wind turbines might have on the sea environment. The price of floating wind projects is also still high — almost twice as much as that of the bottom-fixed offshore ones. Another problem is how to avoid the risk of a system breakdown when the wind is blowing too hard.
【小题1】What do the Hywind’s turbines and the traditional turbines have in common?| A．They are fixed. | B．They use wind. |
| C．They are floating. | D．They use waves. |
| A．It offers a picture of the future. |
| B．Winds are stronger in deep waters. |
| C．It helps meet the net zero carbon emission targets. |
| D．It is difficult to fix turbines in deep offshore areas. |
| A．Solutions to the problems. |
| B．Functions of the wind power. |
| C．Advantages of the floating project. |
| D．Opinions on the floating turbines. |
| A．Wind Projects — a Greener World |
| B．Wind Projects — a Practical Solution |
| C．Floating Turbines — a Choice for the Future |
| D．Floating Turbines — a More Efficient World |
