Divers Turn Floating Wind Turbine into Underwater Farm

Published 1 week agoon August 31, 2026

A floating wind turbine off the coast of northern Spain is taking on an unusual second role – as an experimental underwater farm and habitat for marine life.

As part of the AQUASATH project, professional divers have installed a series of nature-inclusive structures and aquaculture systems on the submerged sections of the DemoSATH floating wind platform, located off the coast of Bizkaia.

The project is exploring whether offshore renewable energy infrastructure can share the same ocean space with aquaculture while also helping to support marine biodiversity.

Nature Inclusive Design elements filled with shells and mussels have been attached to the turbine’s underwater columns, creating additional surfaces and microhabitats where marine organisms can feed, shelter and grow.

Alongside these, an experimental multi-trophic aquaculture system uses ropes, nets and collectors to test the cultivation of European flat oysters, pullet carpet shell clams, mussels and Ulva green algae.

Professional divers played a key role in the offshore operation, positioning and securing the systems onto the floating structure after they had been prepared and tested on a mussel raft.

The pilot is part of DemoSATH Lab, which uses the operational floating wind turbine as a full-scale offshore laboratory to investigate how renewable energy infrastructure interacts with the marine environment.

Researchers will now monitor how the systems perform in real offshore conditions, looking at their durability, maintenance requirements and contribution to marine biodiversity.

During the first stage, the live material was collected and the NID elements were temporarily installed in a mussel raft before their final transfer to DemoSATH.

If successful, projects such as AQUASATH could help demonstrate how future offshore wind farms might do more than generate renewable energy – providing space for food production while creating new habitat beneath the waves.

Source: https://saitec-offshore.com/en/demosath-lab-nature-inclusive-solutions-nids-floating-offshore-wind/

Jane Morgan

Jane’s lifelong love for the ocean began in childhood and has shaped the course of her life and career. After learning to dive in 1991, she spent much of the '90s teaching scuba and working on marine conservation projects in the Philippines and Borneo. A chance encounter with a film camera on a dive trip to Egypt in 2001 ignited a passion for underwater photography, inspiring her to leave the corporate world and pursue a full-time career in dive travel and photojournalism. Since then, her work has been published in a wide range of national and international magazines, books, and newspapers. She has filmed underwater for the BBC, judged major photography competitions, and received numerous accolades—including the prestigious Plongeur d'Or at the Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous-Marine. In 2009, Jane became a freelance photojournalist, and in 2011 completed a BA (Hons) in Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University, where she now works as a Dive Safety Officer. Based in Cornwall, Jane dives locally year-round and is passionate about showcasing the rich marine life found in UK waters. As a proud ambassador for Dynamic Nord and Fathoms Free, she actively supports marine conservation initiatives and advocates for ocean protection through her storytelling. In her newest role with Scubaverse, Jane combines her love of travel, diving, and storytelling—sharing experiences from around the world to inspire others to explore, protect, and connect with the underwater world.