Technip, a French-based oil and gas engineering company, and Nenuphar, a wind-power startup, announced that they will soon launch Vertiwind, a newly designed wind turbine. The turbine's design hopes to reduce the hefty cost associated with tethering deep-water installations by turning the turbine on its side. Instead of the traditional horizontal-axis design the Vertiwind has its main rotor shaft set vertically. The motion will be more akin to a spinning top, which has the advantage of a lower center of gravity. While the Vertiwind design stands 100 meters tall the real weight, a 50 ton generator, is only 20 meters above the sea. When compared to a standard 100 meter wind turbine, which houses the generator 60 meters above the sea, the Vertiwind's design has a much lower center of gravity. This allows for a flotation system that extends only nine meters below the surface of the ocean. The two-megawatt turbine is expected to be in service in the Mediterranean waters by the end of 2013. For more information please visit: http://www.technip.com/en/press/technip-launches-vertiwind-floating-wind-turbine-project
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