Fixed Offshore Wind

Capturing energy from offshore wind with bottom-mounted 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.

There are different types of offshore wind turbine foundation on which the turbine can be installed, depending on the depth and substrate. Gravity foundations are used at shallow depths (0-30m) and consist of large, steel or concrete bases that rest on the seabed. Suction bucket foundations are also made from steel or concrete, and are installed using the pressure difference generated between the inside of the bucket and the water surrounding it (without any use of mechanical force). Monopile foundations are used at shallow depths (0-30 m) and consist of a pile that is driven into the seabed. Monopiles are typically less costly than other foundation types and are the most commonly used. Tripod fixed bottom foundations are used at transitional depths (20-80m) and consist of three legs connecting to a central shaft that supports the turbine base. Each leg has a pile driven into the seabed, which creates a wide foundation that allows for the piles to be placed at a shallower depth in the seabed than monopile foundations. Jacket foundations are also used at transitional depths (20-80m) and feature a lattice framework that comprises three to four anchoring points driven into the seafloor.

The environmental concerns associated with offshore wind farms vary with foundation type. Monopiles, for example, require pile-driving, which produces incredibly loud noises that tend to propagate far in the water, even after mitigation strategies such as bubble shields, slow start, and acoustic cladding are employed. 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. While the footprint of offshore wind energy is relatively small, it may still cause scouring and changes to sediment transport. 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. Artificial reefing is likely to occur around wind farms as the new hard substrate provides protection and attracts colonizing invertebrates and fish.

Affiliated Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Total results: 3097
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Avoidance & Minimisation of Environmental Impacts from Offshore Wind & Grid Infrastructure Offshore Coalition For Energy & Nature (OCEaN) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
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
Schemes for Assessing Ecosystem Impacts in the Offshore Wind Siting Processes of European Countries and Implications for Korea Ahn, S., Soh, Y., Ryu, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Visual fields, foraging and collision vulnerability in gulls (Laridae) Cantlay, J., Portugal, S., Martin, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
Advancing Nature Inclusive Offshore Renewable Energy Solutions Conference Dutch Marine Energy Centre Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates
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
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
Offshore wind farm operation contributed to a slight improvement in seawater quality along the Jiangsu Coast, China Wei, Z., Wang, M., Gao, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
Blue Economy CRC – Report of the Offshore Wind status quo in Norway and reflection on best practices Hatlebrekke, H., Dankel, D., Tiller, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Legal & Policy
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Maine Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), US Department of the Interior (DOI) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Water Quality, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Stakeholder Engagement
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
Future of Offshore Wind: Considerations for development and leasing to 2030 and beyond The Crown Estate Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
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
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
Marine Delivery Routemap: Towards a shared vision for our seabed and coastline The Crown Estate Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
Musseling through: Mytilus byssal thread production is unaffected by continuous noise Wang, S., Ellrich, J., Beermann, J. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Ecosystem Processes
The co-benefits of offshore wind under the UK Renewable Obligation scheme: Integrating sustainability in energy policy evaluation Pashakolaie, V., Cotton, M., Jansen, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Social & Economic Data
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
Frequently Asked Questions: Offshore Wind and Whales Whale Communications Committee, Biodiversity Research Institute Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
What We Heard Report: Building Capacity for the Sustainable & Inclusive Development of Nova Scotia’s Offshore Wind Resource Net Zero Atlantic, Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Monopile-induced turbulence and sediment redistribution form visible wakes in offshore wind farms Bailey, L., Dorrell, R., Kostakis, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, Offshore Oregon Final Environmental Assessment Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Army Corps of Engineers Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
An efficient model for underwater noise prediction during pile driving He, R., Song, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise
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
Harbour porpoise responses to the installation of XXL monopiles without noise abatement; implications for noise management in the Southern North Sea Benhemma-Le Gall, A., Hastie, G., Brown, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Continental shelf wave generation due to surface stress anomalies in the wake of offshore wind farms Weber, J., Broström, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow
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
Collaboration for Environmental Mitigation and Nature Inclusive Design (CEMNID) Xodus Group, The Rich North Sea - De Rijke Noordzee Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals
Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project: Vessel Strike Avoidance Plan Tetra Tech Inc. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Marine Mammals
Collaborative Whale Detection Technology Evaluation Virtual Workshop Series Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC), Marine Technology Society (MTS) Workshop Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Beneath the blades: Marine wind farms support parts of local biodiversity - a systematic review Knorrn, A., Teder, T., Kaasik, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
State of the Science: Compensatory Mitigation and Voluntary Conservation for Birds Goyert, H., Ellis, A., Wilson, D. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
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
The Interface Between Science & Offshore Wind Policy in a Dynamic Ecosystem Rosenbaum, H., Rekdahl, M., King-Nolan, C. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Bats and Offshore Wind: Addressing Three Critical Needs for Effective Management Fuller, N., Dempsey, L., Whitby, M. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Bats
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
Perspectives on Collison Risk Cook, A., Miller, J., Vail-Muse, S. Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
A comprehensive review on scour and scour protections for complex bottom-fixed offshore and marine renewable energy foundations Chambel, J., Fazeres-Ferradosa, T., Miranda, F. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
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