All articles tagged with #offshore wind farms
A new study highlights that rising ocean temperatures due to climate change are increasing extreme wind speeds, which threaten offshore wind turbines by exceeding their design limits, especially in cyclone-prone areas. This necessitates adapting wind farm infrastructure, re-evaluating site locations, and implementing more resilient design standards to ensure the long-term viability of offshore renewable energy projects.
New Jersey has approved plans for two new offshore wind farms, despite setbacks faced by wind energy off the Jersey Shore coast. These projects, combined with a third already approved by the state, are expected to provide enough power for over a million homes in the next seven years, signaling continued progress in the state's renewable energy efforts.
A study by Newcastle University has found that gravity-based foundations for wind turbines have no long-term negative effects on the presence of dolphins or porpoises. The use of these foundations, which rely on their weight to provide stability for the wind turbine, offers a more sustainable construction method for offshore wind developments with less underwater noise and physical disturbance. However, the study also found a temporary decrease in dolphin occurrence during the construction phase, indicating a need for further investigation.
A study by Leiden researchers found that offshore wind farms host a hundred times more soil animals and twice the number of different species than the North Sea floor. The foundations of wind turbines are more popular among soil animals than the North Sea floor, as they provide more food and plants can grow undisturbed. The study used data from six wind farms in the North Sea and compared the samples of the seabed life inside the wind farms with the samples taken just outside the farms. However, the study did not include the effect of building wind turbines, which can disorient fish and mammals.