Floating Offshore Wind

Capturing energy from offshore wind using floating 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. Several floating offshore wind energy demonstrations exist throughout the world, but the technology is yet to be widely deployed.

Floating foundations are used at deep depths (40->1000m) and consist of a balanced floating substructure moored to the seabed with fixed cables. The substructure may be stabilized using buoyancy, mooring lines, or a ballast. Several designs for floating offshore wind substructures currently exist for various depth ranges, including barges, semi-submersibles, tension leg platforms, and single point anchorage buoys. These substructures are connected to one another via inter-array cables, which transport electricity generated from the turbine to floating offshore substations. High voltage export cables then transport the energy to shore. To better understand floating offshore wind, explore these videos from RWE.

The environmental concerns associated with offshore wind farms vary with foundation type. In general, 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. 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. Although pile driving is one of the main concerns surrounding fixed offshore wind energy, floating projects can be constructed onshore and transported out to sea, reducing the impacts from construction-related noise and vessels. Floating foundation’s mooring lines may cause minor scouring or pose a risk of collision or entrapment, but the turbine foundation is mostly located in the upper layer of the water column where there tend to be less organisms.

Photo Credit: Joshua Bauer, NREL

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Floating Offshore Wind.

Total: 752

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
A call to standardize metrics for monitoring baleen whales near marine construction activities Szesciorka, A., Severy, M., Ampela, K. Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
How risky is the development of Offshore Wind Farms on a Mediterranean island?A case study in Paros, Greece Skiniti, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Hidden movers in the wind farm: Functional stakeholders improving offshore wind development in Taiwan Chang, Y., Hung, Y-P., Hsu, T-Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Three-dimensional spatial planning of collection systems in floating offshore wind farms: A two-stage optimization method Tao, S., Yang, J., Zheng, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Improving the evidence base for coexistence between offshore renewables and commercial fishing Harding, J., Boblin, E., Coyle, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Underwater Noise in Offshore Wind Farms: Monitoring Technologies, Acoustic Characteristics, and Long-Term Adaptive Management Zhu, P., Hu, Z., Li, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
2025 REWI Technology Catalog Portfolio Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Comparative analysis of onshore, offshore, and floating wind turbines for renewable energy systems: A review Koondhar, M., Albsha, L., Mahmoud, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data
OFF-COUSTICS: Predicting The Underwater Acoustic Footprint Of Offshore Wind Turbines Ferrer, E., Botero-Bolivar, L., Marino, O. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise
Developing an ecological risk-based approach to facilitate licensing offshore wind development Bolam, S., Cooper, K., Downie, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Invertebrates
Effects of electromagnetic fields on flatfish activity levels Chapman, E., Rochas, C., Burns, Z. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish, Demersal Fish
Geospatial analysis of the life cycle global warming impacts from marine renewables Engelfried, T., Alday, M., Raghavan, V. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wave, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Review of Onshore and Offshore Wind Energy Systems: Technical Characteristics, Challenges, and Worldwide Prospects Benselama, A., Elnaggar, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Current knowledge and key gaps in understanding of offshore wind farm impacts on the physical marine environment Renner, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Ecosystem Processes
Floating Offshore Wind Dynamic Cable EMF Environmental Review ORE Catapult, Evolv Energies, St Abbs Marine Station Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
A Modeling Approach to Aggregated Noise Effects of Offshore Wind Farms in the Canary and North Seas Urtiaga-Chasco, I., Hernández-Guerra, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Remotely Operated and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in Offshore Wind Farms: A Review on Applications, Challenges, and Sustainability Perspectives Kanashiro, R., Paiva, J., Nunes, W. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Balancing wind energy expansion and fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea: A trait-based assessment of vulnerability to floating offshore wind farms for commercially important species Wawrzynkowski, P., Sabatés, A., Lloret, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Chemicals, EMF, Entanglement, Lighting, Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Technical brief – update of harbour porpoise summer distribution in the Belt Sea Gilles, A., Pigeault, R., Benoit, V. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Environmental licensing of wind farms in the Global North and South: A review of guidelines and new proposals Santos, V., Cavalcante, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Life Cycle Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Systems: A Literature Review for Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Floating Modular Energy Islands (FMEIs) Bas, B., Gervásio, H., Borg, R.P. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Strengthening Offshore Wind Community Engagement: Recommendations for State Agencies Clean Energy States Alliance, Equinval Partners Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Progressing the Floating Offshore Wind Opportunity Quinn, T., Rees, M., MacDonald, A. Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Projected changes to the extent and seasonality of seabird habitat in the California current and implications for marine spatial planning Gasbarro, R., Ainley, D., Andrews, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Case-dependent impacts of offshore wind farms on ecosystems: A systematic review and meta-analysis Thomassen, J., Brown, E., Henriksen, O. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Offshore wind farms and marine protected areas in European waters: Better apart than together Lloret, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Environmental considerations related to floating offshore wind farms: a case study from waters around New South Wales, Australia Przeslawski, R., Carlile, N., Carroll, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind
Booklet on MARINEWIND Recommendations MARINEWIND Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Towards an ecosystem approach to a simulated floating wind farm combined with climate change in the Bay of Biscay (France) Merchand, M., Lasram, F., Araignous, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish
Advances in the Development of Monitoring Systems Allying Acoustic Real-Time Data and Model Validation for Effective Management of Underwater Noise Pollution Maglio, A., Fossa, F. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise
Oceanographic HF Radar Data Preservation in Wind Turbine Trockel, J., Trockel, D., Whelan, C. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Navigation
Considerations for the global commercialization of floating offshore wind energy Robertson, A., Musial, W., Shields, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Nova Scotia says offshore wind could provide 27% of Canada’s electricity Dodge, D. , Obermann, E. Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Opportunities and challenges for new technologies in seabird population monitoring Frederiksen, M., Layton-Matthews, K., Bennett, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Guiding Elements for Strengthening Cumulative Impact Assessment Regulations for Offshore Wind Energy Dibo, A., Siqueira-Gay, J., Duarte, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Life Cycle Assessment of co-located floating offshore wind and wave energy technologies in Portugal Bastos, P., Breyer, C., Kluge, S. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Environmental Risks and Impacts of Offshore Energy: A Literature Review Pontinha, D., Bispo, L., Gervásio, H. Conference Paper Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
ORJIP Closing the Loop: Summary report of focused group workshop (D04b) Hague, A., Couto, A., Miller, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
ORJIP Closing the Loop: Recommendations and roadmap (D05) Jones, E., Hague, A., Booth, C. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
ORJIP Closing the Loop: Summary report Stakeholder interviews (D04a) Hague, A., Skeate, E., Miller, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
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