OFFSHORE WIND FARMS: A SEA CHANGE

The owners and developers of offshore wind farm projects within the US may be confronted by a host of issues when it comes to siting decisions. Peter J. Comodeca takes a closer look.One relatively novel issue in the United States is with regard to offshore wind energy development, because of the abundance of available land for wind farms. In fact, only one major off-shore wind farm has been progressed sufficiently towards power generation in the United States, the Cape Wind Project in federal water near Cape Cod.

  One relatively novel issue in the United States is with regard to offshore wind energy development, because of the abundance of available land for wind farms. In fact, only one major off-shore wind farm has been progressed sufficiently towards power generation in the United States, the Cape Wind Project in federal water near Cape Cod. However, other states have approved large offshore wind farms such as Texas and New Jersey. This article will highlight some of the different issues generated by offshore wind farms when compared to land based systems, focusing on salt water environments. However, substantially the same challenges will be confronted by wind farms placed offshore in fresh water locations such as the Great Lakes.

The erection of offshore wind farms introduces different engineering and construction techniques from land based wind farms. Additionally, offshore wind farms generate nuanced differences with regard to the legal issues of jurisdiction, permitting, siting, environmental, and local concerns. Because of the rarity of offshore wind farms in the United States, both the technical construction and operation issues and the potential legal issues are evolving.

Offshore wind turbines are more expensive and difficult to install at this stage of their development. The predominant reason for this is the adverse environment where the construction is to be performed. Offshore wind turbines are exposed to both wind loads and wave loads which need to be counteracted for efficient operation. Also, offshore turbines are exposed to the corrosive marine environment that not only includes saltwater, but salt spray and the extremes that frequently occur in wave strength and storms over water.