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Perhaps one key reason behind the boom in investment is that offshore wind has not yet come close to its full potential. however, lags behind Europe, having only established its first offshore wind farm in 2016. could generate an estimated 2,000 GW or 7,200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy per year, nearly twice the country’s current energy consumption rate. With potential offshore wind turbine placements along the coasts and in the great lakes, the U.S. Several other countries, including Canada, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India, and the United States, are also investing in offshore wind. In 2018, China added 1.6 GW of offshore wind capacity, more than any other country that year. Furthermore, through more environmentally friendly policies, offshore wind capacity in the European Union reached nearly 20 gigawatts (GW) in 2018 and is expected to reach 70 GW by 2040.Ĭhina is also rapidly investing in offshore wind energy. The North Sea’s strong winds and shallow waters provide an ideal location for wind turbine placement. This means that by 2040, offshore wind energy is set to match capital spending on gas- and coal-fired capacities.Įuropean countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark, are particularly interested in further developing wind energy potential. While wind energy only accounted for 0.3% of global electricity generation in 2019, the global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% each year between 20 and is expected to increase 15-fold by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Offshore wind farms use undersea cables to transmit electricity to the grid and supply large amounts of renewable energy to coastal cities.Īlthough a relatively new development, offshore wind energy has transformed into a potential $1 trillion industry. New technologies, such as floating wind turbines, will allow offshore wind farms to operate farther off coastlines, capitalizing on higher wind speeds.
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Offshore wind farms, however, are constructed in bodies of water, typically in the ocean on a continental shelf or in shallow waters – 40 to 50 meters deep. Like traditional land-based wind farms, offshore wind turbines capitalize on wind as a source of energy. What is offshore wind energy and why does it matter? While offshore wind energy presents substantial opportunities, this method of energy generation also presents several risks. In a world facing an ever-increasing demand for energy and a rising sense of urgency around environmental concerns, a growing number of countries are turning to offshore wind energy to address these challenges.