Can floating turbines harvest the world's wind?

The solution sounds obvious —installing turbines on floating platforms — but imagine for a moment the fearsome forces these structures must withstand.

Yet the turbines at the Kincardine wind farm are standing tall in the heaviest swells and fiercest storms that the tempestuous North Sea brings their way.

These floating wind turbines can adapt when the wind and sea conditions. In strong winds the tower "heels" or leans away from the wind.

A network of pumps and valves shift liquid ballast between the three floating cylinders to rebalance the platform and set the turbine at the ideal angle for the wind.

Below the surface, weighted subsea cables attached to huge anchors make sure the platform is firmly secured to the seabed.