Two sites off the Scottish coast have been earmarked as possible locations for the world’s first floating wind farm.

Norwegian company Statoil has developed the floating turbine prototype (pictured) at Karmøy in the North Sea and now wants to develop an entire floating wind farm.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond met Statoil officials to put forward sites off the Isle of Lewis and Aberdeenshire.

Mr Salmond said: ‘Our waters are estimated to have as much as a quarter of Europe’s potential offshore wind energy and we are perfectly positioned to develop the technology that will power this remarkable renewables revolution.’

Sites in the USA and Norway are also being considered for the Hywind farm, which could have a capacity of up to 100 megawatts.

Should the floating farm prove successful, offshore wind turbines could become a more common sight, as securing the turbine to the seabed usually accounts for most of the deployment costs.

The Scottish government has set a goal of 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2020 and two weeks ago it opened the world’s largest tidal turbine in the Orkneys.

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