The world's first floating wind turbine goes on line in Norway

Hywind, the world's first floating wind turbine, went on line this week, six miles off the coast of Stavanger, Norway. It owes its existence to two oil and gas engineers who asked, according to Sjur Bratland, the Hywind project manager, "Why not? Why not do it?"

StatoilHydro, the Norwegian oil company, spent $60 million dollars to design and construct Hywind's tower and platform which rises almost 200 feet feet above the waves. The turbine sits atop a floating steel structure that extends 300 feet below the surface, is filled with ballast of water and rocks and is anchored to the ocean floor by three cables.