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
Vietnam’s Policy for Promoting Offshore Wind Power and Environmental Impact Assessment Son, N., Gam, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Legal & Policy
Del Norte County Offshore Wind Preliminary Feasibility Assessment Chapman, G., Guerrero, I., Jacobson, A. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
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
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
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
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, Sea Turtles
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
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
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
A Multi-Criteria Approach to Evaluate Floating Offshore Wind Farms Siting in the Canary Islands (Spain) Díaz, H., Soares, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Ongoing Study Plan: Development of Computer Simulations to Assess Entanglement Risk to Whales and Leatherback Sea Turtles in Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Moorings, Cables, and Associated Derelict Fishing Gear Offshore California Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Entanglement Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
X-shaped Radical Offshore Wind Turbine for Overall Cost of Energy Reduction (X-ROTOR) Jessopp, M., Clairbaux, M. Research Study Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Collision, Displacement, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment
Passive Ultrasonic Deterrents to Reduce Bat Mortality in Wind Farms Sharma, A. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Bats
Delivering Net Zero: the role of Offshore Renewable Energy A COP26 Briefing note prepared by the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub Greaves, D., Richards, L., White, D. Report Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm Vestas Wind Systems A/S Project Site Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind
Wind Energy Technologies Office Multi-Year Program Plan Fiscal Years 2021—2025 Marlay, R., Ahlgrimm, J., Clapper, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
The Interaction Between Resource Species and Electromagnetic Fields Associated with Electricity Production by Offshore Wind Farms Hutchison, Z., Secor, D., Gill, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish, Invertebrates
Offshore Wind Development in the Northeast US Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem: Ecological, Human, and Fishery Management Dimensions Methratta, E., Hawkins, A., Hooker, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Does galvanic cathodic protection by aluminum anodes impact marine organisms? Bell, A., von der Au, M., Regnery, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Chemicals Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Habitat-based density estimates for cetaceans in the California Current Ecosystem based on 1991–2018 survey data Becker, E., Forney, K., Miller, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Could federal wind farms influence continental shelf oceanography and alter associated ecological processes? A literature review. Miles, T., Murphy, S., Kohut, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
An integrated GIS approach for site selection of floating offshore wind farms in the Atlantic continental European coastline Díaz, H., Soares, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Recommendations for the quantitative assessment of metal inputs in the marine environment from the galvanic anodes of offshore renewable energy structures Michelet, N., Julian, N., Duarte, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
Guidance document on wind energy developments and EU nature legislation European Commission Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Enabling Renewable Energy While Protecting Wildlife: An Ecological Risk-Based Approach to Wind Energy Development Using Ecosystem-Based Management Values Copping, A., Gorton, A., May, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Accelerating Energy Innovation for the Blue Economy The Economist Intelligence Unit Report Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data
SEER Factsheet SEER Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
Synthesis of the Science Workshop: Day 3 Summary Consensus Building Institute Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
Synthesis of the Science Workshop: Day 2 Summary Consensus Building Institute Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
Synthesis of the Science Workshop: Day 1 Summary Consensus Building Institute Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
The Wildlife Sensitivity Mapping Manual: Practical guidance for renewable energy planning in the European Union Allinson, T., Jobson, B., Crowe, O. Guidance Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Marine Mammals
New York Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) Meeting Summary – 5 October 2020 Gulka, J. Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds
Characterization of alloying components in galvanic anodes as potential environmental tracers for heavy metal emissions from offshore wind structures Reese, A., Voigt, N., Zimmermann, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Chemicals
Highlighting the need to embed circular economy in low carbon infrastructure decommissioning: The case of offshore wind Jensen, P., Purnell, P., Velenturf, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy – Final Islands Communities Impact Assessment Scottish Government Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Offshore multi-purpose platforms for a Blue Growth: A technological, environmental and socio-economic review Abhinav, K., Collu, M., Benjamins, S. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Digital Aerial Baseline Survey of Marine Wildlife in Support of Offshore Wind Energy Summer 2016–Spring 2019 Seasonal Surveys Large Bony Fish and Fish Shoals Final Report Normandeau Associates Inc Report Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish
Digital Aerial Baseline Survey of Marine Wildlife in Support of Offshore Wind Energy Sixth Interim Report Normandeau Associates Inc Report Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Organic matter assimilation by hard substrate fauna in an offshore wind farm area: a pulse-chase study Mavraki, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
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