Page 66 - Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

wind farming as an abundant energy resource that can be located close to major coastal load centres,
i.e. those that typically have high energy needs. While wind farming has existed for some time, the
U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) elaborates that new offshore wind farms provide
‘an efficient alternative to long-distance transmission or development of electricity generation in
these land-constrained regions. Offshore wind facility design and engineering depend on site-specific
conditions, particularly water depth, seabed geology, and wave loading.’ 204

Offshore winds tend to flow harder, faster and more steadily than those over land. Relatively small
increases in wind speed can yield high increases in energy production; offshore wind farms in a 15-
mph (24.1 km/h) wind can generate twice as much energy as land-based wind farms in a 12-mph
(19.3 km/h) wind. Offshore wind farms also offer the same advantages as land-based wind farms.
Once operational, they do not consume water or emit any environmental pollutants or greenhouse
gases. They do provide a nearby domestic energy source (so cutting down the costs of the energy)
and create jobs in local communities. These factors and advantages, when combined with innovative
developments in wind turbine materials and technology, make offshore wind farms one of the most
effective cutting-edge ways to help maximize efficiency and increase the production of electricity.
205
A recent example of successful wind farm deployment is the operationalization of the world’s largest
offshore wind farm in the county of Cumbria, UK, which is expected to surpass the London Array in
terms of megawatt (MW) output, as detailed in Box 14.
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