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In the middle of nowhere, protruding out of the ocean, sporadic series of turbine wind machines are lined up like alien soldiers. These offshore wind farms, that harness the wind over the ocean, are particularly popular in the U.K. and Denmark. In the Northeast U.S. the wind blows harder, more consistently, over the ocean than over land. As a result, offshore wind farms are proposed for Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Offshore wind farms are favored slightly more than onshore wind farms since they generally provide more power due to the consistent wind speed over the ocean. They also do not create the visual distraction, or “eye sore,” onshore wind farms do, because offshore turbines are installed at a significant distance from land, which minimizes their appearance as well as their operating noise.

For all the positive attributes of offshore wind farming, there are drawbacks. Offshore drilling becomes more difficult due to larger turbine placement in the ocean. Running necessary transmission lines to each location also increases overall cost. There is the additional threat of hurricanes and extremely powerful storms that may potentially destroy or cause significant damage to turbines and blades. Equally threatening over time is the saltwater that corrodes the equipment.

Offshore wind farms are quickly expanding from shallow to deepwater installations. Deepwater wind power is increasingly becoming the “next frontier for wind developers.” Technology used to keep floating oil and gas rigs stable may be used for wind power generation. There are challenges regarding permits, testing, and transmission. However, offshore wind projects developer, Principle Power, has licensed technology from Marine Innovation and Technology to use their semi-submersible floating wind generation system based on that of floating oil and gas platforms. The technology is called the “WindFloat” platform, which essentially is a floating foundation capable of supporting immensely large wind turbines. They will float, although a portion of them will be submerged. The WindFloat is intended for use in waters more than ten miles from shore, that exceed 50 meters in depth.



Jason Grace
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany

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