Offshore wind turbines could more than quadruple the United States’ wind energy production, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Until now, the United States has lagged behind countries like Denmark and the U.K. in installing offshore wind turbines, despite the vastly larger shorelines. That situation will likely change with the recent installation of a floating wind turbine off of the coast of Maine, the first such device in North America.

About the floating wind turbine project

The U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Maine teamed up to create the first North American floating wind turbine, situated just off the coast of Castine, in south-central Maine. Maine is particularly well-suited for generating wind energy because of the prevailing northeasterly winds that blow almost constantly offshore. The 65-foot tall, concrete turbine is a 1/8-scale model, a test for two proposed full-size towers that are expected to be functional by 2016. If all goes according to plan, the area will be home to a 80-turbine wind farm by 2020.

The arguments for floating wind turbines

A key advantage to the floating wind turbines is that they are made of concrete rather than steel, so they cost much less to build and maintain. The floating turbines also do not require expensive drilling down to the sea floor to fix them in place or any special transportation devices to take them out to the site. A simply barge and tug boat will suffice. Technicians who work on the turbines just need a boat and boat license to get out to service the floating units.

Floating turbines can be placed further out to sea than traditional fixed turbines, where the ocean floor is too deep to make the latter economically feasible. Floating turbines can also be programmed to rotate to face the wind, according to Popular Mechanics, allowing them to harvest all of the possible energy.

Maine isn’t the only state looking at using offshore wind turbines. New Jersey has committed to support offshore wind turbines and Ohio is studying the feasibility of installing turbines in Lake Erie in the northeast corner of the state. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the ocean and lake floors surrounding the United States could yield up to 4,000 gigawatts of energy annually.

The drawbacks to wind turbines

One of the traditional arguments against wind turbines has always been that area residents complain the turbines are unsightly, that they ruin their expensive water views and that they prefer not to have them “in their back yard.” Proponents of the floating turbines answer this concern by saying that due to the curvature of the earth, turbines can be situated far enough from shore so they are not visible from the coastline, but are still able to generate power.

The bottom line

Floating wind turbines are an intriguing new way to generate power. They aren’t likely to replace oil anytime soon, but they can make a sizable contribution to America’s energy needs.

Nik Danielson is a guest contributor to U.S. Green Technology – See more at USGreenTechnology.