Following the success of Siemens Gamesa 's innovative turbines at the biggest offshore wind farm on the planet , it has been suggested that the 6 MW horizontal - axis wind turbine ( HAWT ) design still needs work . But with floating wind under immense pressure to rapidly reduce costs down to fixed-offshore or even onshore levels, Golightly and others argue that a radical rethink in turbine design could be required. Geotechnical consultant Christ Golightly suggests the industry develops vertical - axis wind turbine ( MW ) designs to use alongside floating substructures instead . “ VAWTs are the most effective way of getting electrical power from kinetic energy in moving air , ” he said . LIDAR is tech of choice for wind feasibility and power curve tests Light Detection and Ranging ( LIDAR ) will become more popular than MET masts for offshore wind feasibility and power curve verification tests , a panel at this year 's Offshore Wind Conference said . Validation campaigns have found LIDAR is a cost - effective way to provide reliable financial data on a wind turbine 's power output . While LIDAR works best with short masts for onshore projects , offshore wind farms only require the LIDAR to provide data , said Alexandre Sauvage , CEO of LIDAR manufacturer Leosphere .
Following the success of Siemens Gamesa 's innovative turbines at the biggest offshore wind farm on the planet , it has been suggested that the 6 MW horizontal - axis wind turbine ( HAWT ) design still needs work . Geotechnical consultant Christ Golightly suggests the industry develops vertical - axis wind turbine ( MW ) designs to use alongside floating substructures instead . “ VAWTs are the most effective way of getting electrical power from kinetic energy in moving air , ” he said . LIDAR is tech of choice for wind feasibility and power curve tests Light Detection and Ranging ( LIDAR ) will become more popular than MET masts for offshore wind feasibility and power curve verification tests , a panel at this year 's Offshore Wind Conference said . Validation campaigns have found LIDAR is a cost - effective way to provide reliable financial data on a wind turbine 's power output . While LIDAR works best with short masts for onshore projects , offshore wind farms only require the LIDAR to provide data , said Alexandre Sauvage , CEO of LIDAR manufacturer Leosphere .