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: 574
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
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
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
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
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 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
The Potential Environmental Impacts of Floating Offshore Wind in California California Ocean Science Trust Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals
France Energies Marines Annual Report 2023 France Energies Marines Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions
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
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
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
Environmental impacts from large-scale offshore renewable-energy deployment Ouro, P., Fernandez, R., Armstrong, A. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Modeling the impact of floating offshore wind turbines on marine food webs in the Gulf of Lion, France Adge, M., Lobry, J., Tessier, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Autonomous thermal tracking reveals spatiotemporal patterns of seabird activity relevant to interactions with floating offshore wind facilities Schneider, S., Kramer, S., Bernstein, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Offshore Wind Facts: Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Offshore Wind Facts: Jobs and Workforce Development Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Primary vs grey: A critical evaluation of literature sources used to assess the impacts of offshore wind farms Szostek, C., Edwards-Jones, A., Beaumont, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Offshore Wind Facts: Coastal and Marine Habitats Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Offshore Wind Facts: Birds and Bats Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Lighting, Noise Bats, Birds
Offshore Wind Facts: Property Values and Visual Impacts Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Recreation & Tourism, Visual Impacts
Using Available Data and Information to Identify Offshore Wind Energy Areas Off the California Coast [2024] Rockwood, R., Salas, L., Howar, J. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Observational and Modeling Approaches for Assessing Impacts of Offshore Wind Development on California Current Upwelling: Workshop Summary Kojima, A., Kilpatrick, T., Jacox, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Ecosystem Processes
The global impact of offshore wind farms on ecosystem services Watson, S., Somerfield, P., Lemasson, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Towards sustainable decommissioning: The importance of lifespan extension and standardisation Natuur & Milieu Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change
What are the potential effects of offshore wind farms on coastal fish and their essential habitats? Henry, S., Couturier, L., Darnaude, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Chemicals, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish
Conditions for nature friendly and circular decommissioning Natuur & Milieu Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Planet Wind Documentary Evans, A. Video Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind
A Numerical Modeling Framework to Evaluate Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on California’s Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem Raghukumar, K., Nelson, T., Chang, G. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Physical Environment
Geese migrating over the Pacific Ocean select altitudes coinciding with offshore wind turbine blades Weiser, E., Overton, C., Douglas, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Waterfowl
Observations of harbour porpoises in offshore wind farms Final report Leemans, J., Fijn, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
A synthesis of socioeconomic and sociocultural indicators for assessing the impacts of offshore renewable energy on fishery participants and fishing communities Willis-Norton, E., Mangin, T., Schroeder, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
Life cycle carbon footprint accounting of an offshore wind farm in Southeast China—Simplified models and carbon benchmarks for typhoons Sun, Z., You, X. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment, Stakeholder Engagement
Assessing areas suitable for offshore wind energy considering potential risk to breeding seabirds in northern Japan Obane, H., Kazama, K., Hashimoto, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Floating Offshore Wind and Colocation and Coexistence Risks and Opportunities Whaley, C., Greig, C., Eatough, L. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Displaying 41 - 80 of 574 results