Supporters of floating offshore wind turbines say their technology can cut through bureaucratic red tape faster than conventional turbines because they can be anchored further away from land and are less likely to annoy folks who don’t want to see them from the shore.
According to this Business Week article:
“Fixed-foundation turbines require more permits. They’re also more likely to incite protests, such as those that have delayed the Cape Wind project off Massachusetts and a wind farm off Scotland that Donald Trump says will ruin the views from his golf resort there. Floating turbines, which are held in place by anchors, can be placed 20 miles offshore…. 'Out of sight, out of mind,' as Alla Weinstein, CEO of Principle Power, Seattle, puts it.'"
The Business Week article also said Principle Power has developed a ballast system that buoys wind urbines so they don’t have to be bolted to the seabed.
