The world's first floating wind turbine was towed out to sea on the weekend. The wind turbine, called the Hywind, and operated by Norwegian energy company Statoil, was moved into place 10 kms offshore from Karmoy on the Norwegian coast. Statoil's Alexandra Beck Gjorv said the Hywind: "should help move offshore wind farms out of sight". Resistance to wind farm aesthetics has been an ongoing concern for wind power companies. However, if the Hywind is a success it will lead to offshore wind farms eventually being located many kilometres offshore, away from areas where they cause disruption. "Taking wind turbines to sea presents new opportunities," said Ms Gjorv. "The wind is stronger and more consistent [and] areas are large." The floating wind farms are connected to mainland grids via cables across the seabed. In a similar way to how large parts of icebergs are hidden below the sea surface, the turbine has a 100 metre draft that is anchored to the seabed with three cables, that can be up to 700 metres long (see figure attached). The Hywind will be tested off the coast of Norway for two years. Floating wind farms could later be established off both coasts of North America and off the coasts of Norway and the United Kingdom, she said. Floating wind farms could provide an additional source of energy for countries that have run out of space for their onshore wind farms, or where there is not enough wind on land, Ms Gjorv added. //STUART NETTLE