How is the proposed Humboldt offshore wind project different from offshore wind projects on the East Coast?

All of the currently installed offshore wind turbines (1) off the East Coast of the U.S. are fixed-bottom turbines, while the proposed Humboldt offshore wind project would use floating turbines. Compared to floating turbines, fixed-bottom turbines cause different environmental impacts, due to the construction of their foundations in shallow water at sea and their proximity to the shore (11.7 miles on average) (2).

Most common types of fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines.

Source: Ghost456 via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) (3)

In contrast, floating offshore wind turbines are constructed onshore and then tugged out to sea, where they operate considerably farther from shore (21–29 miles for the Humboldt Wind Energy Area (4) in much deeper water than fixed-bottom turbines. Floating offshore wind turbines are tethered to the seafloor using anchors and mooring lines, which are projected to have fewer impacts on wildlife and the environment (5) than the concrete or steel platforms of onshore and near-shore turbines. Because of their distance away from the coast, they would also be far less visible from land than near-shore wind turbines while at sea. At the same time, floating offshore wind turbines would need to be constructed in port and would therefore be quite visible at those times. Additionally, floating turbines skip the pile driving (12) construction step, where a long steel foundation is driven deep into the seabed to support fixed-turbines. Pile driving results in extremely intense noise which is not included in floating turbine construction, mitigating the environmental impacts.

Types of floating offshore wind turbines.

Source: California Energy Commission (6)

In November of 2024, the Offshore Wind Webinar Library (7) was released by the New York State Environmental Technical Working Group (NYSERDA) for more information on coastal energy development.

Watch this video about floating offshore wind turbines (8):

Watch this video featuring Principle Power's floating platforms in Portugal (9):

Watch this video featuring the Hywind Tampen floating offshore wind farm in Norway (10):

Watch this video featuring the East Anglia Floating Wind Farm (11):

References

1. Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, May 23). List of offshore wind farms. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offshore_wind_farms

2. Díaz, H. & Guedes Soares, C. (2020). Review of the current status, technology and future trends of offshore wind farms. Ocean Engineering, 209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.107381

3. Ghost456. (2022, April 8). Most common types of fixed offshore wind foundations [Image]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offshore_wind_power#/media/File:Offshore_wind_foundation_types.svg 

4. U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. (n.d.). Humboldt Wind Energy Area. www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/humboldt-wind-energy-area

5. U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs. (2021). Comparison of Environmental Effects from Different Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations. U.S. Department of the Interior. www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/environment/Comparison-Environmental-Effects-Different-OWT-Foundations-2021.pdf 

6. California Energy Commission. (2024). AB 525 Reports: Offshore Renewable Energy. www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/reports/ab-525-reports-offshore-renewable-energy 

7. ​New York State Environmental Technical Working Group. (2024, November).  Offshore Wind Webinar Library. ETWG. https://www.nyetwg.com/webinar-library 

8. DW Planet A. (2023, March 17). Floating wind turbines: Offshore energy's secret weapon [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=El4kHkJ7ITs

9. Principle Power. (2020, May 14). RTE - 10 Things You Need to Know - WindFloat Atlantic [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2VpFPlp82o

10. Fluctus. (2023, Feb 21). The Fascinating Process of Installing Billions $ Wind Farms in Middle of the Ocean [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpqy0Tpt5p0

11. Free Documentary - Engineering (2024, Sep 27). Floating Wind Farms: The Future of Wind Energy? | FD [Video ]. YouTube.  Engineering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVPZHa7UwXc

12. ​Hardach, S. (2023, November 7). How bubble curtains protect porpoises from wind farm noise. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231106-the-big-bubble-curtains-protecting-porpoises-from-wind-farm-noise