The world’s largest floating wind turbine has begun generating power off the coast of Portugal.

The WindFloat Atlantic project connected the first of three 8.4-megawatt MHI Vestas turbines planned for installation. The offshore wind turbine is connected to a substation in Portugal via a 12-mile cable and secured with chains to the seabed 100 meters below. That sort of depth is outside the comfort zone of fixed bottom offshore wind, and it is that capability that lies at the root of floating wind’s advantages.

For some markets lacking available shallow waters, like California or Japan, floating foundations could be the difference between unlocking a viable, scalable offshore market and or failing to do so.

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