Floating

Years ago someone dreamed of a floating megacity. The result is a 550-meter “terayate” for 60,000 people

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The ocean is full of infrastructures that once sounded crazy. With his almost 400 meters in length the ship Ever Given would surely sound like science fiction to any 19th century engineer, as would the ability of the Blue Marlin to transport infrastructure the size of an aircraft carrier or the gigantic dimensions of the ship’s engine Emma Maerskwhich at 13.5 meters high and 27 meters long looks more like a mansion than a machine. In naval engineering the limit is your imagination. Or, if the technique still does not allow you to translate the idea into reality, wait long enough. The Italian designer must have thought something similar Pierpaolo Lazzarinifrom the Lazzarini studio, who in 2009 began to think about a crazy idea: building a floating megacitya gigantic structure capable of hosting tens of thousands of people, hotels, commercial spaces, parks and even facilities for aircraft and other smaller vessels in the middle of the ocean. Breaking the mold Not only that. Already starting to dream – Lazzarini must have thought – why not give it the appearance of a terayate, a boat format so large that it surpasses the super, mega or even “gigayacht” categories. And curling the curl a little more: Why not design that mass to look like a sea turtle? It seems crazy, but that’s what came out of the workbench of Lazzarini, a studio that has already made headlines for its designs. dream vehicles, luxury boats, flying devices either architectural proposals floating. Of course, without the caliber of his latest idea. His proposal is called Pangeos and was presented as nothing more nor less than an immense “itinerant floating city”a chelonian-shaped vessel of 550 meters in length and a beam of 610 m at its widest point, measurements that would make it a true titan of the seas, much larger than the Ever Giventhe transatlantic Wonder of the Seas or even the Seawise Giant. “At the moment it’s just a concept, but it’s starting to become more than just computer animation,” Lazzarini recognizedwhich launched an online dossier with images and videos. In an attempt to go further, in 2023 its promoters promoted an NFT crowdfunding to sell “virtual spaces”. All in all, it does not seem that Pangeos will become a reality in the short term. The studio estimates that shaping its project would cost around 8 billion dollars and the work that would last about eight years. Once finished it would become “the largest floating structure ever built”, with 60,000 accommodations. Its hull will be divided into 30,000 floating cells. Its wings are designed to get energy of the resistance and the waves that break against the hull and along its roof there would be solar panels that would supply it with energy. The vessel, with a draft of approximately 30 meters, would be capable of moving at a speed of five knots. Building a record structure requires record resources. Not only because of the enormous amount of funds and work that Pangeos would need. Giving it shape will require a huge shipyard—”tera shipyard,” he points out—in which they have also thought. The idea is to have a facility with a dock that can be flooded to allow it to float once the yacht is finished. The structure designed by the studio would 650 meters wide by 600 long and would have its own access to the sea. As for where, those responsible have opted for Saudi Arabia, a location located about two kilometers from the King Abdullah Harbor. Although Pangeos is fascinating and its structure seems straight out of a science fiction movie, it is not the first floating community project. Long before Lazzari, other studios embarked on the adventure of designing their own traveling cities. One of the most recent is the MV Narrativean exclusive residential ship of 229 meters in length and 547 “residences-cabins”. The crown of the projects, however, goes to another structure worthy of the most fertile imaginations: the enormous Freedom Shipa boat designed for 100,000 passengers. Norman Nixon launched the proposal in the 90s, but so far he has not managed to put his impressive infographics into practice. They all share the same basic ingredient: ambition and imagination. Images | Lazzarini Design Studio In Xataka | This is Freedom Ship, the megaship designed to become a floating city with 100,000 passengers *An earlier version of this article was published in November 2022

has built a 152 -meter floating warning to the rest of the world

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China has just signed a new chapter in the global race for renewable energy. This time, it is not an oil platform emerging in front of its coastbut of a floating wind turbine of huge proportions. A structure so massive that its blades exceed the height of most Spanish skyscrapers, designed to resist typhons and float in deep water. More than a technical advance, it is a strategic statement: the country not only wants clean energy, wants to control it from its own shipyards. Uploading the bet. The Asian giant has presented The most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world. The unit, with a capacity of 17 megawatts (MW), has been developed by the state of China Huaneng Group and Dongfang Electric Corporation, and has left the production line in Fuqing, coastal city of the province of Fujian, According to Global Times. Test process. The turbine will be towed soon to the waters of Yangjiang, in the province of Guangdong. From Esdnews They have detailed That the scale of the new wind turbine reaches 262 meters from the rotor diameter, a record that allows it to sweep an area of 53,000 square meters. Its height to the axis rises to 152 meters. According to figures from the Huaneng Group itself collected in the same medium, a single unit can generate up to 68 million kilowatt-Hora (KWH) of clean electricity per year, sufficient energy to supply about 40,000 homes. Not everything is the size. Although yes, since the wind turbine has been designed to withstand extreme maritime conditions, including waves of more than 24 meters high and winds of category 17, with speeds greater than 200 km/h, as They have collected in Chinadialy. In addition, it has an advanced stabilization system and smart sensors that allow maintaining production even when the platform suffers significant inclinations. It is not the first time that China Explore this technology. Last year, the Mingyang company installed Oceanx, a 16.6 MW floating wind turbine with double rotor, designed to resist hurricanes of category 5 and waves up to 30 meters. Located in Guangdong, Oceanx was a pioneer in extreme efficiency. However, the new Huaneng and Dongfang Electric model exceeds it in power, in size and in annual generation, with 68 million kWh, compared to the 54 million Oceanx. More than a giant turbine. This project fits a broader strategy that seeks to reduce the technological dependence from abroad. According to Global Timesall the main components – palas, generators, converters, transformers and even a new high diameter axis bearing – have been designed and manufactured in China. In addition, the turbine allows access to a resource so far used: the wind in deep water. In those areas, where it is not possible to install fixed structures, the only option are floating platforms. According to the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, these areas have between three and four times more wind potential than the less deep coastal regions, According to China Daily. Float to get further. The Chinese advance is part of a global energy transformation. According to the World Wind Energy Council (GWEC)more than 80 % of the planet’s marine wind potential is found in waters of more than 60 meters deep. In this context, the development of large -scale floating platforms and national production places China in a leadership position. With a renewable capacity installed of more than 2,090 GW in May 2025, the Asian country already obtains one in three kilowatts-Hora from clean sources, such as Global Times explained. And keep accelerating. The wind as a flag. The new Chinese floating turbine is not just an engineering feat. It is a declaration of intentions. It represents the convergence between technological ambition, industrial sovereignty and ecological necessity. In a world that still seeks how to mitigate the climatic crisis without sacrificing development, China seems to be saying: the wind blows in our favor, and we know how to take advantage of it. Image | PIQSELS Xataka | In Peru, a company has had an idea to take wind energy directly to your home: turbines as a lay way

Spain goes with such delay in floating wind that its neighbors are being advanced: Morocco and Portugal

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The industry begins to get impatient. It has been almost a year since it was approved Royal Decree 962/2024designed to give the exit gun to the marine wind in Spain. However, the ministerial order that must regulate the first auction has not yet seen the light, and there is also no official calendar with the next steps. In a sector that advances to the rhythm of the wind, the lack of movement begins to weigh. Short. The Wind Business Association (AEE) and the Marine Wind Forum have joined forces to launch a overwhelming message to the government: either, investments will end in other countries. In a joint statementthey have claimed the immediate publication of the bases of the auction and a schedule that gives medium and long term visibility. While Spain is still waiting, Portugal, France or Morocco advance with defined models and concrete projects. A more complex problem. According to AEElack of advances could cost Spain to create more than 7,500 jobs in coastal areas and stop contributing more than 2,000 million euros per year to GDP. In addition, the opportunity to lead a key technology such as floating wind –in which Spain has been a pioneer with world reference prototypes– It could evaporate if a minimum local market is not established. Spain has toilet industrial capabilities, appropriate port infrastructure, demonstrated technological experience – as the first floating prototype developer of the world – and Suitable areas identified in the planning plans of the maritime space (poem). But all that, without a local market that guarantees volume and continuity, is at risk. It has been stretching. In February of this year, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, announced that the Government would launch the first marine wind auction in 2025 and that an order would be published with the bases, According to the newspaper five days. Also The goal was reaffirmed to reach the 3 GW capacity installed in 2030, as established by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). But, today, the order has not gone to public consultation. And that is the first stone to launch any auction. From the sector, they denounce that there are no objective reasons that justify the delay and fear that the promises of auctions “in 2025” become another lost year. A wind leak. The main stumbling block is the lack of firm signs and a detailed roadmap. This has caused various companies –As AEE has warned– They are starting to divert their investments to other countries that offer greater certainty and speed. On the other hand, in neighboring countries the situation is being very different. For example, Portugal is about to define Your auction model. France has awarded Already a great project in the Mediterranean and prepares five more parks in the Vizcaya Gulf. Morocco, meanwhile, has presented A 1,000 MW project on the Atlantic coast for 2029. Meanwhile, Spain is still not a single marine kilowatt in commercial operation. Of the 278 MW of floating wind installed worldwide, according to data from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) June 2025, none is in Spain, although the country has been key in the construction of 100%exported components. In addition, the wind sector also claims that IDAE (Institute for Diversification and Saving Energy) be unlocked to modernize key infrastructure such as the ports of A Coruña, Castellón or Tarragona. Without those logistics nodes ready, the value chain weakens. The look in the Canary Islands. It has profiled as the ideal territory to launch this first pilot auction. The archipelago has a constant winda consolidated logistics chain, political and social consensus, and a high electricity generation cost that could be drastically reduced with marine wind. For AEECanary Islands is the “logical spearhead” to start the commercial development of this technology. Forecasts. The sector expects the Ministry to publish as soon as possible the public consultation for the Ministerial Order and define a clear calendar of upcoming auctions. Meanwhile, the global context does not expect. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the offshore market grew by 10% in 2024, reaching 83.2 GW installed. Spain is still in time to occupy a prominent place in the European leadership of the floating marine wind. But the opportunity window narrows. The ads are not enough: concrete decisions, clear regulation and political will are needed. Otherwise, the country runs the risk of seeing how others assume that strategic role. And with this, lose not only investment and employment, but a key opportunity to reindustrialize the economy and advance the energy transition. Image | Unspash Xataka | In Peru, a company has had an idea to take wind energy directly to your home: turbines as a lay way

Floating solar energy seemed all advantages. Until someone has occurred to him if it is

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Earth is no longer the limit for solar energy. From The Acts of India until The Swiss Alps reservoirsgoing through more and more swamps in the Iberian Peninsula. Floating solar panels begin to cover all types of bodies of water with advantages that go beyond the generation of electricity, such as stop water evaporation in the areas most whipped by drought. The other effects of floating solar energy. Something we have less studied is how floating solar panels affect the ecosystem of some bodies of water, particularly small ponds and lagoons. A Recent Study of Cornell University It has analyzed the environmental consequences of covering these smaller bodies of water with floating solar energy and the conclusion is unexpected: they can significantly increase the emission of greenhouse gases of the organisms that inhabit the pond. The experiment. To carry out your research, scientists They installed photovoltaic panels on three experimental ponds In the Experimental Cornell Pond Facity. In total, they covered 70% of their surface. On the other hand, they left ponds exposed as control groups for the experiment. In this way, they managed to observe the changes and the evolution of the ponds in which they had installed floating solar energy by comparing them directly with other similar ponds without panels. The results. Although it was thought that floating solar energy has an environmental impact less than other energy sources, the results showed that it can generate counterproductive effects. Specifically, the researchers registered a significant increase in methane concentrations and carbon dioxide dissolved in the water, which raised greenhouse gas emissions of semi -covered ponds almost 27% compared to the unbreaking ponds Solar In addition, they observed a considerable decrease in the availability of dissolved oxygen, which can affect aquatic life and alter ecological processes such as decomposition and microbial activity. The conclusion. Although part of the gases were more slowly released due to the lower amount of water exposed to the sun, the largest concentration in the form of bubbles ended up increasing the total amount of emissions. These findings are especially relevant in the context of the energy transition, since many floating solar energy facilities are carried out in small lakes and ponds without taking into account how they affect the ecosystem. Here is the complicated part. If we compare the greenhouse gas emission trace per kilowatt generated time, floating solar energy remains more favorable than fossil fuel -based technologies. But the study shows that we still do not know very well how these rapid changes in the energy industry are affecting certain ecosystems. You have to continue investigating. Image | Cornell University In Xataka | Spain is ready for floating solar energy. Portugal has shown that the reservoirs take advantage of

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