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Floating Offshore Wind

Floating Wind Turbine Designs
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: 885

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
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
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
Co-located offshore wind and floating solar farms: A systematic quantitative literature review of site selection criteria Ali, F., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Stewart, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
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
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
Scenario-based LCA for assessing the future environmental impacts of wind offshore energy: An exemplary analysis for a 9.5-MW wind turbine in Germany Benitez, A., Wulf, C., Steubing, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
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
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
Reference Site Conditions for Floating Wind Arrays in the United States Biglu, M., Hall, M., Lozon, E. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind
Changes to Fisheries and Ecosystems Sun, M., Foley, C., Kinnell, J. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
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
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
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
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
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
State of the Sector Report 2024 Marine Energy Wales Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
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
Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Feasibility of Natural Fibre Usage for Wind Turbine Blade Components: A Structural and Environmental Assessment Pender, K., Bacharoudis, K., Romoli, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Environmental Impact Assessment of Offshore Wind Farms in Deep Waters Alawady, A., Senthurya, S., Saritha, G. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Marine Mammals
Global Offshore Wind Report 2024 Williams, R., Zhao, F. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Integrated Environmental & Social Sensitivity Mapping: Guidance for Early Offshore Wind Spatial Planning World Bank Group Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism
GIS-based suitability mapping for offshore and onshore wind energy in the United Arab Emirates Gherboudj, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data
Noise pollution causes parental stress on marine invertebrates, the Giant scallop example Gigot, M, Tremblay, R., Bonnel, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Invertebrates
Nature Inclusive Design Options For Offshore Wind Farms & Grid Infrastructure Offshore Coalition For Energy & Nature (OCEaN) Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Fish
Making eco-sustainable floating offshore wind farms: Siting, mitigations, and compensations Danovaro, R., Bianchelli, S., Brambilla, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Evaluation of offshore wind energy zones within marine spatial planning: A case study in the Spanish Mediterranean Sea Martinez, A., Iglesias, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
The effect of moral framing on attitudes towards offshore wind farms in Turkey Goral, E., Hannum, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Social & Economic Data
France Energies Marines Annual Report 2023 France Energies Marines Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
Environmental DNA monitoring of fish communities at the Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind farm Hestetun, J., Mayers, K., Mugu, S. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Physical Environment, Water Quality
Opportunities for enhancing biodiversity at wind and solar energy developments Jobson, B., Cook, A., Fletcher, C. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Reptiles, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement

Displaying 241 - 280 of 885 results