Fixed Offshore Wind

Capturing energy from offshore wind with bottom-mounted foundations.

Offshore wind energy technologies harness kinetic energy from the wind to generate energy and transport that energy back to shore via a subsea export cable. The main advantage of offshore wind energy is access to stronger and more consistent winds, allowing for the use of larger turbines. The development of offshore wind in Europe and Asia has preceded development activities in other parts of the world; however, several projects in the United States are currently underway.

There are different types of offshore wind turbine foundation on which the turbine can be installed, depending on the depth and substrate. Gravity foundations are used at shallow depths (0-30m) and consist of large, steel or concrete bases that rest on the seabed. Suction bucket foundations are also made from steel or concrete, and are installed using the pressure difference generated between the inside of the bucket and the water surrounding it (without any use of mechanical force). Monopile foundations are used at shallow depths (0-30 m) and consist of a pile that is driven into the seabed. Monopiles are typically less costly than other foundation types and are the most commonly used. Tripod fixed bottom foundations are used at transitional depths (20-80m) and consist of three legs connecting to a central shaft that supports the turbine base. Each leg has a pile driven into the seabed, which creates a wide foundation that allows for the piles to be placed at a shallower depth in the seabed than monopile foundations. Jacket foundations are also used at transitional depths (20-80m) and feature a lattice framework that comprises three to four anchoring points driven into the seafloor.

The environmental concerns associated with offshore wind farms vary with foundation type. Monopiles, for example, require pile-driving, which produces incredibly loud noises that tend to propagate far in the water, even after mitigation strategies such as bubble shields, slow start, and acoustic cladding are employed. Collision risk with birds and bats is a major concern, though the impact is more difficult to quantify offshore because carcasses that provide evidence of collisions become lost at sea. While the footprint of offshore wind energy is relatively small, it may still cause scouring and changes to sediment transport. As with all electricity generation, there is a slight concern that electromagnetic fields generated by power cables may affect animals that use Earth's natural magnetic field for orientation, navigation, and hunting. Artificial reefing is likely to occur around wind farms as the new hard substrate provides protection and attracts colonizing invertebrates and fish.

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents Related to Fixed Offshore Wind

Total results: 3197
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Wildlife Data Standardization and Sharing: Environmental Data Transparency for New York State Offshore Wind Energy New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind
Insect fatalities at wind turbines as biodiversity sinks Voigt, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Invertebrates
Optimistic with reservations: The impacts of the United States' first offshore wind farm on the recreational fishing experience Smythe, T., Bidwell, D., Tyler, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
Ocean Justice: Strategies for an Equitable Implementation of North Carolina’s Offshore Wind Industry Schroeger, J. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Guidelines for Lighting and Marking of Structures Supporting Renewable Energy Development Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Guidance Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Lighting Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles
Review of tracking devices to study spatiotemporal disturbance of seabirds by offshore wind farms Potiek, A., Duijns, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction Birds, Seabirds
Potential ecosystem effects of large upscaling of offshore wind in the North Sea Zijl, F., Laan, S., Emmanouil, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change
Ecosystem effects of large scale upscaling of offshore wind on the North Sea van Duren, L., Zijl, F., van Kessel, T. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Birds, Marine Mammals
Resource Occurrence and Productivity in Existing and Proposed Wind Energy Lease Areas on the Northeast US Shelf Friedland, K., Methratta, E., Gill, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Fish, Invertebrates
Thornton Bank Offshore Wind Farm Annual Report 2020 Magnus, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
The Rockhopper: a compact and extensible marine autonomous passive acoustic recording system Klinck, H., Winiarski, D., Mack, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Evaluating receiver contributions to acoustic positional telemetry: a case study on Atlantic cod around wind turbines in the North Sea van der Knaap, I., Slabbekoorn, H., Winter, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Habitat Change Fish, Pelagic Fish
Digital Aerial Wildlife Survey of BOEM Lease Area OCS-A 520 (Beacon Wind) Annual Report: December 2019 to November 2020 Arundale, M., Goulding, A., Rogerson, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles
Megafauna Aerial Surveys in the Wind Energy Areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island with Emphasis on Large Whales: Interim Report Campaign 6A, 2020 O'Brien, O., McKenna, K., Pendleton, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
An Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Extracting Marine Renewable Energy in the Coastal Environment of the Black Sea Zburlea, L., Rusu, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Avian Species Research Fernandez, K., Middleton, P., Salerno, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Installation of offshore wind turbines: A technical review Jiang, Z. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
The international regulation for the protection of the environment in the development of marine renewable energy in the EU Soria‐Rodríguez, C. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Temporal Patterns in Offshore Bird Abundance During the Breeding Season at the Dutch North Sea Coast van Erp, J., Loon, E., Camphuysen, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Risk Assessment to Model Encounter Rates between Large Whales and Sea Turtles and Vessel Traffic from Offshore Wind Energy on the Atlantic OCS Barkaszi, M., Fonseca, M., Foster, T. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Human Dimensions, Navigation
Combining offshore wind farms, nature conservation and seafood: Lessons from a Dutch community of practice Steins, N., Veraart, J., Klostermann, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
New York Bight Passive Acoustic Monitoring Workshop Report Wildlife Conservation Society Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions
Enabling conditions for an equitable and sustainable blue economy Cisneros-Montemayor, A., Moreno-Baez, M., Reygondeau, G. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data
Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Scale Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Structure in a Tidal System Raoux, A., Robin, I., Pezy, J. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Fish, Invertebrates
Migratory movements of British and Irish Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna: a review of ringing data and a pilot tracking study to inform potential interactions with offshore wind farms in the North Sea Green, R., Burton, N., Cook, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Waterfowl
How could operational underwater sound from future offshore wind turbines impact marine life? Stober, U., Thomsen, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Marine Mammals
Vineyard Wind 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Scour Protections for Offshore Foundations of Marine Energy Harvesting Technologies: A Review Fazeres-Ferradosa, T., Chambel, J., Taveira-Pinto, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment
Offshore Wind Report: Positioning for U.S. Expansion: U.S. Ports and Vessels Innovation American Bureau of Shipping Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Navigation
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind COP Appendix II-J: Essential Fish Habitat Assessment Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, & Environmental Services, D.P.C. (EDR) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish
Revolution Wind COP Appendix Z1: Assessment of Impacts to Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, and ESA-Listed Fish Species CSA Ocean Sciences Inc Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles
ROSA Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines ROSA Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Offshore wind farms and the attraction-production hypothesis: insights from a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses Mavraki, N., Degraer, S., Vanaverbeke, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish
Changes in feeding behavior of longfin squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) during laboratory exposure to pile driving noise Jones, I., Peyla, J., Clark, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Invertebrates
Field Observations During Offshore Wind Structure Installation and Operation (Maryland Offshore Wind and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind) Amaral, J., Ampela, K., Frankel, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Evaluating the South Korean public perceptions and acceptance of offshore wind farming: evidence from a choice experiment study Kim, J., Choi, K., Yoo, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind COP Appendix II-G2: 2020 Benthic Assessment Report Morandi, A., Berkman, S., Dauksis, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Invertebrates, Physical Environment
MOTION OF THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION FOR APPROVAL OF THE ELECTRIC PROGRAM INVESTMENT CHARGE INTERIM INVESTMENT PLAN 2021 California Energy Commission Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Drivers of European bat population change: a review reveals evidence gaps Browning, E., Barlow, K., Burns, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
JUMP Deliverable 2: Inventory of background information Sobreira, F., Cruz, E., Luís, A. Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise
Displaying 921 - 960 of 3197 results