Floating Wind Turbines

As we frequently discuss here, island nations are often good candidates for flavors of renewable energy that have only niche applications, insofar as the alternatives are both dirty and expensive.

In that vein, Spain’s Canary Islands are set to become a test bed for the latest technology in wind energy: turbines that float rather than moored to the ocean floor.  The rationale: limited space for solar, on islands whose surrounding waters drop off quickly to depths unsuitable for traditional offshore foundations, where this an imperative to be out of the sight of tourists on the beach.