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

Affiliated Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Total results: 610
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Environmental Impact Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment for a Deep Water Floating Offshore Wind Turbine on the Brazilian Continental Shelf de Paula, L., Carmo, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment
Offshore Wind Priority Conflict Topics for Marine Mammals and Birds Courbis, S., Pacini, A., Williams, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Spatial Modeling to Support Sustainable Offshore Wind Energy Development for California Degagne, R., Gough, M., Joseph, G. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Identifying the Potential of Floating Artificial Benthic Ecosystems to Underpin Offshore Development Komyakova, V., Wright, B., Frusher, S. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates
Development of a Novel Physiology Tag to Measure Oxygen Consumption in Free-Ranging Seabirds McKnight, C., Bogdanova, M., Butler, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement Birds, Seabirds
Study to examine the feasibility of extending SeabORD to the entire breeding season Searle, K., Jones, E.L., Bogdanova, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Electromagnetic Field Effects on Marine Life SEER Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF Fish, Invertebrates
Review of fish and fisheries research to inform ScotMER evidence gaps and future strategic research in the UK Xoubanova, S., Lawrence, Z. Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Noise Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Good Practice Guidance for assessing fisheries displacement by other licensed marine activities: Literature Review Xodus Group Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy
Environmental Compatibility of the Parc Tramuntana Offshore Wind Project in Relation to Marine Ecosystems Diez-Caballero, K., Troiteiro, S., Garcia-Alba, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
A two way Conversation with the People of Scotland on the Social Impact of Offshore Renewables Orr, P., Twigger-Ross, C., Phillips, P. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Floating Offshore Wind: Environmental Interactions Roadmap: Public Summary Report ORE Catapult, Xodus Group Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Navigation
Unravelling the ecological impacts of large-scale offshore wind farms in the Mediterranean Sea Lloret, J., Turiel, A., Solé, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning, Recreation & Tourism
An ecosystem-based natural capital evaluation framework that combines environmental and socio-economic implications of offshore renewable energy developments Trifonova, N., Scott, B., Griffin, R. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Effect of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines on Atmospheric Circulation in California Raghukumar, K., Chartrand, C., Chang, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Environmental Impact of Solar and Wind energy- A Review Hamed, T., Alshare, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Measurement and Modelling of Underwater Acoustic Noise induced by Offshore Wind Turbines under the Effects of Varying Oceanic and Sea-State Conditions Konow, T. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Marine Mammals
Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Decommissioning Programme Equinor Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Commercial Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Humboldt Wind Energy Area, California Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), BOEM Environmental Studies Program Report Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Participatory Methodologies and the Production of Data on Artisanal Fishing in Areas with Offshore Wind Farm Projects in Ceará, Brazil de Figueiredo Xavier, T., Gorayeb, A., Brannstrom, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Using Available Data and Information to Identify Offshore Wind Energy Areas Off the California Coast Rockwood, R., Salas, L., Howar, J. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Presence of Vessels: Effects of Vessel Collision on Marine Life SEER Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Maintenance and End-of-Life Analysis in LCA for Barge-Type Floating Wind Turbine Yildiz, N., Hemida, H., Baniotopoulos, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Offshore renewables need an experimental mindset Johnson, A., Dawson, C., Conners, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Comments on the March 22, 2022 Study Outcomes from Conservation Biology Institute Project Workshop Flick, P., Kelly, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Artificial hard-substrate colonisation in the offshore Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Karlsson, R., Tivefälth, M., Duranović, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates
Balancing profitability of energy production, societal impacts and biodiversity in offshore wind farm design Virtanen, E.A., Lappallainen, J., Nurmi, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning, Social & Economic Data
Environmental Data Catalog for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area Johnson, C., Currier, C., Howar, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles
Measuring and visualizing environmental and social impacts of wind energy projects Pian, A., Verhoef, J., De Vries, L. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions
Assessment of uncertain alternatives for co-located aquaculture and offshore wind farm in Tasmania Villalba, J., Abdussamie, N., Aryai, V. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Potential impacts of floating wind turbine technology for marine species and habitats Maxwell, S., Kershaw, F., Locke, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Navigation
ThermalTracker-3D Offshore Validation Technical Report Matzner, S., Warfel, T., Hull, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds
Future offshore wind scenarios: an assessment of deployment drivers Arup Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Glider study at Hywind Scotland Ramasco, V. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Investigating avoidance and attraction responses in lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus to offshore wind farms Johnston, D., Thaxter, C., Boersch-Supan, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Birds, Seabirds
Anthropogenic Mixing in Seasonally Stratified Shelf Seas by Offshore Wind Farm Infrastructure Dorrell, R., Lloyd, C., Lincoln, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Hywind Scotland Floating Offshore Wind Farm: Sound Source Characterisation of Operational Floating Turbines Burns, R., Martin, S., Wood, M. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
The Demand for a Domestic Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain Shields, M., Marsh, R., Stefek, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
The reef effect induced by wind farms and their grid connection Couturier, L., Lecaillon, G., Lenfant, P. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Man-made structures in the marine environment: A review of stakeholders’ social and economic values and perceptions Elrick-Barr, C., Zimmerhackel, J., HIll, G. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Displaying 241 - 280 of 610 results