An offshore wind farm is a network of wind turbines placed in locations of large bodies of water to take advantage of the higher wind speeds associated with such areas. Offshore winds typically blow harder and more consistently than on land, providing a more reliable power source than turbines placed inland. [1]
Offshore wind farms are unsightly and blight the beautiful views, in addition to harming wildlife. Transporting the energy back to shore is expensive and adds inefficiencies.
Largest Offshore Wind Farms
- Hornsea Project One is an offshore wind farm near the east coast of Yorkshire England. This farm has 174 turbines with a power generation capacity of 1.2GW. Hornsea Project Two is under construction and Hornsea Project Three is under consideration. [2]
- Triton Knoll Wind Farm - Is a 857 MW offshore wind farm located off the east coast of England, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire [3]
- Block Island Wind Farm - Is an offshore wind farm in Rhode Island. The 30 MW, 5-turbine project, began commercial operations in December 2016. [4]
- Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind – Is an offshore wind farm twenty-seven miles off Virginia Beach with a capacity of 12 MW. [5]