Hywind
| Unitech Zefyros (Hywind Demo) | |
|---|---|
| Country | Norway |
| Location | Karmøy |
| Coordinates | 59°8′25.1″N 05°01′46.5″E / 59.140306°N 5.029583°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Construction cost | Over 400m NOK |
| Owner | Unitech Offshore |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Floating offshore |
| Max. water depth | 120 m (390 ft) |
| Distance from shore | 10 km (6.2 miles) |
| Hub height | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 82.4 m (270 ft) |
| Rated wind speed | 13 m/s (43 ft/s) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 2.3 MW |
| Make and model | SWT-2.3-82 |
Hywind was the first MW-class floating wind turbine concept, developed by StatoilHydro (now Equinor). It has a rated power of 2.3 megawatts (MW), and is mounted on a spar foundation derived from oil platforms. The basic development was done by Norsk Hydro, hence the name. The Hywind turbines are designed to be installed offshore in water depths of 120–700 metres.
The first pilot Hywind turbine was installed and commissioned in the North Sea, 10 km (6.2 miles) south-west of Karmøy, south-west Norway, in September 2009.
In 2019, the turbine was acquired by Unitech Offshore and renamed the Unitech Zefyros. It will be used for development and testing of new technologies, and as a hub to connect other turbines in the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre) test site for offshore wind turbines.
Following the single turbine demonstration, the Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen wind farms have been constructed.