When a heavyweight cadre of Japanese industrial groups led by Marubeni Corporation powered up an array of floating wind turbines off Fukushima only three years after the catastrophic 2011 Daiichi nuclear meltdown, the project was rightly hailed as technological marvel: three different designs of deepwater platform topped with turbines ranging from 2MW up to 7MW – the largest, Mitsubishi Heavy’s ‘Sea Angel’, was then biggest offshore model in existence – and a floating substation to wire them all into the grid (see panel below).
Japan's pioneer spirit in floating wind moved to rise anew with opening of vast deepwater zone
Nearly ten years after the decommissioning of the world-leading Fukushima Forward array stalled the country's fledgling sector, Tokyo's plans to open previously off-limits far-offshore waters could spur gigascale deployment, writes Darius Snieckus
24 April 2023 4:36 GMT
Updated
24 April 2023 4:39 GMT
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