Economic Feasibility of a Floating Wind Turbine

Abstract

Renewable energy technologies have gained significant momentum in the last decade as concerns about the environmental impacts of fossil fuels coincide with decreasing costs of generation methods such as wind and solar. Offshore wind farms stand out as one of the most promising segments of the industry, with vast expanses of ocean, strong winds and a removal from the domain of the general public. However, current fixed turbine technology precludes deployment in much of the world’s oceans due to maximum depth constraints. Various public and private institutions have begun researching and developing floating platforms, allowing wind turbines to be utilized in almost any aquatic environment. This thesis presents an economic feasibility analysis of deploying floating platform