A Guide to Offshore Wind Energy Quiz

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The European experience shows that offshore wind farms generate more jobs per megawatt installed than onshore wind farms. In 2007, 6,370 people were employed in  the EU offshore wind energy sector – including manufacturing, installation, operations, and maintenance jobs.

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Offshore wind energy can help meet multiple state and national goals, including reducing energy imports, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change (by displacing fossil-fueled power generation), meeting renewable electricity standards, and creating jobs and local business opportunities.

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The amount of electricity produced depends on wind speed, turbine size, and the arrangement of the turbines. Offshore wind turbines typically generate more energy per hour than land-based turbines due to their larger size and higher wind speeds.

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Europe is the world leader in offshore wind energy, with farms installed as early as 1991 and an operating  capacity of 2,396 MW as of June 2010.

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There are 39 offshore wind farms in waters off Belgium,  Denmark,  Finland,  Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

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China is the global leader in offshore wind energy technology manufacturing, currently holding a 61 percent share of the $47 billion market.

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DOE estimates that the wind resources along American coasts, oceans and Great Lakes are capable of providing 900,000 MW of electricity, an amount nearly equivalent to the nation’s current total installed electric capacity.

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Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have laws that require a minimum percentage of electricity to  be produced from renewable sources such as water, biomass, wind, solar, and geothermal energy. 

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Offshore wind turbines typically generate more energy per hour than land-based turbines due to their larger size and higher wind speeds. 

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The state of New York is in a unique position because it has offshore wind potential in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

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Offshore wind farms are more expensive to build and maintain than onshore wind farms due to the higher cost of larger turbine structures, offshore turbine foundations, and sea transmission cables. DOE estimates that constructing and installing an offshore wind farm costs at least $2,400 per kilowatt of capacity,  compared to $1,650 (in 2006  dollars)  for  an onshore wind farm.

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In the long term, offshore wind farms generally result in higher fish densities and biomass, but can be detrimental to the fishing industry.

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DOD calls fossil fuel dependence itself an issue of national security and views wind energy as an energy alternative that can be compatible with military readiness and homeland security.

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Floating Turbine can operate in waters 100-700 meters deep.