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: 779

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Short-term interactions of concrete, biofilm, and seawater in the submerged zone of marine environments for sustainable floating offshore wind turbines Margapuram, D., Salgues, M. , Lami, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Invertebrates
Monitoring Biodiversity at Sea: Discussion paper on advancing standardised biodiversity monitoring for Nature-Positive offshore wind development Stephenson, P. Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
Maritime Spatial Planning Discussion paper on leveraging Maritime Spatial Planning for Nature-Positive offshore wind development le Bihan, M., Rusan, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Going digital: challenges in monitoring marine megafauna when comparing results from visual and digital aerial surveys Quéroué, M., Authier, M., Besnard, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Seabirds in 3D: A Framework to Evaluate Collision Vulnerability with Future Offshore Wind Developments - Interim Project Report #1: Estimating Collision Vulnerability of the Seabird Community Across a Segment of the California Current System Schneider, S., Wallach, E., Chamberlin, C. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds, Shorebirds
Underwater Sound Emissions from the Moorings of Floating Wind Turbines: HYWIND Scotland Case Study Pace, F., Burns, R., Martin, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Underwater sound produced by operational floating wind turbines Marmo, B., Risch, D., van Geel, N. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise
New Horizons: The Space Needed for Offshore Wind Energy in the EU by 2030 and 2040 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Life on every stone: Characterizing benthic communities from scour protection layers of offshore wind farms in the southern North Sea Zupan, M., Coolen, J., Mavraki, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
NMFS West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Options for biodiversity-friendly designs and approaches for offshore wind farms in Ireland BlueWise Marine Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Mapping the Way Forward: Spatial Data Inventory and Insights for Marine Planning Carlton, J., Wilson, R., Wylie, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Technology Gaps for Monitoring Birds and Marine Mammals at Offshore Wind Facilities Courbis, S., Williams, K., Stepanuk, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Marine Mammals
Influence of wind on kittiwake Rissa tridactyla flight and offshore wind turbine collision risk Davies, J., Boersch-Supan, P., Clewley, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Maripark Blueprint Ernst & Young Report Marine Energy, Salinity Gradient, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Collaboration or competition? Interactions between floating and fixed-bottom offshore wind in Norway Havinga, H.C., Adriaan van der Loos, H.Z., Steen, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Evaluating the Impacts of Offshore Wind‬ Development on Marine Ecosystems‬ ‭ King, C. Thesis Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Entanglement, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Spatial planning offshore wind energy farms in California for mediating fisheries and wildlife conservation impacts White, C., Wang, Y-H., Walter, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Entanglement Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
A synthetic analysis of post-construction displacement and attraction of marine birds at offshore wind energy installations Lamb, J., Gulka, J., Adams, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement Birds
Offshore wind industry product carbon footprinting guidance: Guidance for measuring the life cycle carbon footprint of offshore wind developments Dineen, C., Shackley, L., Harvey, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Modeling the Underwater Sound of Floating Offshore Windfarms in the Central Mediterranean Sea Baldachini, M., Burns, R., Buscaino, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise
Representative Project Design Envelope for Floating Offshore Wind Energy: A Focus on the California 2023 Federal Leases Cooperman, A., Biglu, M., Hall, M. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Identification of applicable regulation and public policy gaps regarding marine renewable energy in Mexico Rivera, G., Ortiz, M., Rivera-Arriaga, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, OTEC, Salinity Gradient, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Guidance for Pre- and Post-Construction Monitoring to Detect Changes in Marine Bird Distributions and Habitat Use Related to Offshore Wind Development Avian Displacement Guidance Committee Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement Birds
Challenges and Opportunities for Floating Offshore Wind Energy in Ultradeep Waters of the Central Atlantic Musial, W., McCoy, A., Hernando, D. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Building Sustainable Offshore Wind Futures Through Collaborative Research Programs Savitsky, I., Shumchenia, E., Bland, K. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Entanglement Birds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Analysis of the Impact of Wind Farm Construction on the Marine Environment Lazuga, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
Changes to Fisheries and Ecosystems Sun, M., Foley, C., Kinnell, J. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Working Group on Offshore Renewable Energy (WGORE; outputs from 2023 meeting) Rumes, B., Wood, D., Copping, A. Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Offshore Wind Energy Development and Compensatory Mitigation in the Northeast Region Vail-Muse, S. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
Resource Equivalency Analysis: Quantifying Mitigation for Offshore Wind Projects Grigelis, P., Phillips-Hagedorn, M. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Compensatory Mitigation for Offshore Wind Baker, K. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
State of the Sector Report 2024 Marine Energy Wales Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Impacts to Seabirds California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Understanding Potential Environmental Impacts with Existing Research California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals
Impacts from Noise California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise
Impacts to Whales and Other Marine Mammals California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement, Entanglement, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Impacts to Marine Mammals from Pre-Construction Surveys California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals
Impacts from Electromagnetic Fields California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
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