Offshore wind energy

We find locations where wind conditions are optimal, water depths are shallow enough for us to fix turbines to the seabed, and there is enough space to install hundreds of huge turbines. The sea winds are captured by the turbines’ giant blades and transformed into energy inside the turbine, using the principle of electromagnetism. The electricity generated from all the turbines in the wind farm is fed to offshore substations, which then transport the energy to shore via high-voltage cables. Once inland, the electricity is transformed at the onshore substation and fed into the public grid, where it is ready to power the lives of millions of people.

Find out more about how offshore wind technology works

Offshore wind technology has been around for over 30 years now. In that time, the capacity of the wind turbines has increased significantly. So too has the number of wind turbines we’re able to install at one wind farm. As a consequence, a large new offshore wind farm built today can produce at least as much energy as a conventional power station.

When you divide the total emissions associated with a wind turbine by the amount of electricity it will produce in its lifetime, it works out at about 6 g of carbon dioxide for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. (Source: Siemens Gamesa)

By comparison, for coal, this adds up to approximately 900 g per kWh.

In other words, switching from coal-fired generation to wind power can reduce the carbon emitted from energy production by more than 99%.

Find out more about the carbon footprint of offshore wind

Offshore wind power is more reliable than you might think. The wind blows much more consistently out at sea, and the turbines are designed to generate power even from a very light breeze. In the rare case that there really isn’t enough wind, other sources of power that contribute to the grid can compensate for this. Even in a future world that runs entirely on green energy, offshore wind won’t be the only energy source.