Offshore Wind Energy
Offshore wind power refers to the construction of wind farms in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind. Unlike the typical usage of the term “offshore” in the marine industry, offshore wind power includes inshore water areas such as lakes, fjords and sheltered coastal areas, utilizing traditional fixed-bottom wind turbine technologies, as well as deep-water areas utilizing floating wind turbines.Better wind speeds are available offshore compared to on land, so offshore wind power’s contribution in terms of electricity supplied is higher, and NIMBY opposition to construction is usually much weaker. However, offshore wind farms are relatively expensive. At the end of 2012, 1,662 turbines at 55 offshore wind farms across 10 European countries are generating electricity enough to power almost five million households. At the end of June 2013 total European combined offshore wind energy capacity was 6,040 MW.
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