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 Related to Floating Offshore Wind

Total results: 632
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Megafauna Aerial Surveys in the Wind Energy Areas of Southern New England with Emphasis on Large Whales: Final Report Campaign 7, 2022 O'Brien, O., McKenna, K., Hsu, S. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Vulnerability Index to Scale Effects of Offshore Renewable Energy on Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Off the U.S. West Coast (VIMMS) Southall, B., Mazurek, R., Eriksen, R. Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Cruise report Hywind Tampen 13 to 28 March 2023 Utne-Palm, A., Søiland, H., Sveistrup, A. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Pelagic Fish
Floating offshore wind farms in Mediterranean marine protected areas: a cautionary tale Lloret, J., Wawrzynkowski, P., Dominguez-Carrió, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Offshore Grid Connection Pathway – Phase 2 Commission for Regulation of Utilities Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
The rapid expansion of offshore wind farms challenges the reliability of ICES-coordinated fish surveys—insights from the Baltic Sea Haase, S., von Dorrien, C., Kaljuste, O. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Maritime Spatial Planning in Europe: Discussion Paper on the Challenges and Potential Opportunities Around the Colocation of Offshore Wind Energy with Marine Protected Areas Stephenson, P. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Integrating Bird and Marine Mammal Monitoring into Offshore Wind Energy Development Infrastructure and Operations Courbis, S., Etter, H., Pacini, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Entanglement Birds, Marine Mammals
FINAL Information Needed for Issuance of a Notice of Intent (NOI) Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Environmental DNA reveals spatial patterns of fish and plankton diversity at a floating offshore wind farm Hestetun, J., Ray, J., Murvoll, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Fish
Considerations for Floating Wind Energy Development in the Gulf of Maine Musial, W., MacDonald, S., Fuchs, R. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Power Analysis for Optimal Design of a Passive Acoustic Monitoring Network for US East Coast Offshore Wind Chudzinska, M., Thomas, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) from subsea power cables in the natural marine environment Gill, A., Hutchison, Z., Desender, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF
Life cycle assessment of a floating offshore wind farm in Italy Brussa, G., Grosso, M., Rigamonti, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Shutting down offshore wind turbines during peak bird migration Rijkswaterstaat Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Environmental benthos survey, Hywind Scotland Moskeland, T. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Metabarcoding of sediment eDNA communities at the Hywind Scotland OWF – A pilot study Hestetun, J., Dahlgren, T. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change
Mapping Environmental Considerations for Marine Spatial Planning in Wales: Methodology Murray, L., Bloomfield, H., Skates, L. Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Do the metals released by galvanic anodes used in offshore wind farms pose a risk to the marine environment? Henry, S., Amouroux, I., Aragon, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
What are the potential effects of the electromagnetic fields produced by offshore wind farm power cables on marine organisms? Henry, S., Carlier, A., Chauvaud, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish, Invertebrates
Guide to a floating offshore wind farm BVG Associates Guidance Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Physical Environment
Setting EU Threshold Values for continuous underwater sound Druon, J., Hanke, G., Casier, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Offshore Wind Energy and Seabird Collision Vulnerability in California Grover, W. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Characterisation of underwater operational noise of two types of floating offshore wind turbines Risch, D., Favill, G., Marmo, B. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Towards Digital Twins of the Oceans: The Potential of Machine Learning for Monitoring the Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms on Marine Environments Schneider, J., Klüner, A., Zielinski, O. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Hudson South 2 E05 Bat and Bird Acoustic Analysis and Results Summary Normandeau Associates Inc Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds
Social Acceptance of a Reduced-Footprint Synthetic Mooring System for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in the Gulf of Maine Green, R., MacDonald, S., Fuchs, R. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
A Geospatial Analysis of Species of Interest in US Atlantic Wind Energy Areas O'Brien, B. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Marine Mammals
New insights into the influence of turbines on the behaviour of migrant birds: implications for predicting impacts of offshore wind developments on wildlife Willmott, J., Forcey, G., Vukovich, M. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Habitat Change Birds
Magnetic Field Limit and Potential Impact of Offshore Wind Farm Submarine Cables in Ecosystems Li, X., Chen, J., Zhan, H. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish
Offshore Wind Energy and Marine Biodiversity in the North Sea: Life Cycle Impact Assessment for Benthic Communities Li, C., Coolen, J., Scherer, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Physical Environment
Projected cross-shore changes in upwelling induced by offshore wind farm development along the California coast Raghukumar, K., Nelson, T., Jacox, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Effective Stakeholder Engagement for Offshore Wind Energy Development: The State of New York's Fisheries and Environmental Technical Working Groups Brunbauer, M., Press, K., Williams, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Socio-political acceptability of floating offshore wind farms in France: challenges and perspectives for marine governance towards sustainability Fofack-Garcia, R., Mazé, C., Safi, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data
Public attitudes of offshore wind energy in Japan: An empirical study using choice experiments Iwata, K., Kyoi, S., Ushifusa, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related Offshore Aquifers Middleton, P., Barnhart, B. Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Monitoring Framework for Automated Radio Telemetry at Offshore Wind Projects in the U.S. Atlantic Loring, P., Carlson, E., Gobeille, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds
Monitoring of Marine Life During Offshore Wind Energy Development—Guidelines and Recommendations Kershaw, F., Jones, A., Folsom-O’Keefe, C. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Human Dimensions
Fisheries and Offshore Wind Interactions: Synthesis of Science Hogan, F., Hooker, B., Jensen, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
Stakeholder Engagement in California Offshore Wind: A Summary from CLEE’s 2022 Convenings and a 2023 Outlook Hoff, K., Segal, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
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