There are no technical barriers to installing offshore turbines but the construction, delivery to site and assembly of such large machines needs specialist equipment and vessels, facilities at ports and careful timetabling to make sure that the possibilities of using calm weather windows are maximised. Most UK developments have been installed using steel monopiles, but projects in other countries have used gravity foundations.

Offshore wind is wind energy located offshore, typically in ocean waters, though the wind potential of the Great Lakes is also being explored in the United States. Because offshore winds are more powerful than onshore, offshore wind turbines are usually larger. At present, two offshore wind farms, Cape Wind and Long Island Power Authority have been proposed for the United States and are undergoing review by Mineral Management Service .

There are several factors which suggest the development of an offshore wind energy industry. The resource is extremely large, the energy costs, although initially higher than for onshore, are cheaper than other renewable technologies and the risks are low, as early projects have shown. Many people, while agreeing that wind turbines are a useful strategy, are not happy to see them in their area. This is the NIMBY principle - not in my back yard.

The wind energy resource at sea is extremely large, and the UK has one of the highest in the world with over 33% of the total European potential. In fact, the UK's offshore resource is equivalent to three times the UK's annual electricity consumption. Conservative calculations show that offshore wind alone could meet the 10% target by 2010. Offshore wind speeds are generally higher than coastal wind speeds. Ten kilometres from the shore, speeds are typically around one metre per second higher.

In Delaware, and along the densely populated east coast, there is scarce suitable land for onshore wind parks. Located more than six miles from land as proposed by Bluewater Wind, the Delaware wind park, when visible at all, will appear very small on the horizon. Connecting offshore turbines to the power grid avoids construction of expensive high voltage overland transmission lines.

Visiting a wind farm is a great way to understand the reality, please sign up for a wind farm trip by clicking on Engage in Consultation.

No. To set up a wind complex months of prior study are required to discern the characteristics of the land, as well as the wind whose energy is exploited. 26.5 months are needed to install a farm in Galicia, of which 7.91 correspond to construction works, whilst the remaining time is invested in administrative procedures, environmental reports, obtaining concessions etc. The promoters must further reach agreements with the landowners, through purchase or lease contracts.

Trent Wind Farm is located on Trent Mesa (a mesa is a flattop hill) in West Texas just south of Interstate 20 about 30 miles west of Abilene and 10 miles east of Sweetwater (off I-20 on Adrian Road). The majority of the current project lies in Nolan County, although the mesa is in both Taylor and Nolan Counties.

AEP is responsible for the operation of the wind farm but has contracted with GE Wind Energy, the turbine manufacturer, for operation and maintenance services.

The environmental impact of offshore wind farms is considerably reduced compared with those onshore; both noise and visual impact are unlikely to be issues, but there are still some considerations. For example, there could be an environmental impact from carrying out work offshore, such as localised disturbance of the seabed.

Data gathered from European offshore wind parks over the past 15 years demonstrate that the turbines do not endanger birds and marine life. Bluewater Wind's plan to build more than six miles from shore places the turbines well away from the fly zones of most bird populations. The experience in Europe indicates that marine mammals and other marine life are essentially undisturbed by offshore wind turbines.

Despite their size, wind turbines are remarkably quiet. Today's high-tech machines generate what is termed broadband noise, often described as a "whooshing" sound. At a distance of 750 to 1,000 feet, modern windmills are no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator. Delaware's wind park would be sited six miles out (31680 feet), so the whooshing would not be detectable from shore.

offshore wind park will help to stabilize the price of electricity by using an energy source that is not subject to the fluctuation of market prices of fossil fuel, such as coal or natural gas. Bluewater Wind wants Delaware consumers to benefit from this price stability and we will do this by offering to sell the electricity generated at our wind park at a pre-determined price for a long-term period (20 years or more).

Delaware's legislature has required Delmarva to request proposals for new power plant generation located within Delaware. In addition, the legislature has required that 10% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2018. Bluewater Wind is responding to both of these public policies of the state of Delaware. The University of Delaware has confirmed a rich resource of wind off Delaware's shores.

Ans. - In India the Wind farms can be installed at MNES identified potential sites, where it has a mean annual wind power density of 200 W/m2 or more at 50m above ground level.

The development process for each wind facility can vary dramatically from one project to the next. A typical project could be expected to perform the following activities: P re-feasibility Study, Wind Monitoring, Community Education, Approvals (land, municipal, environmental, etc), Feasibility Study, Financing, Construction, and Operation/Maintenance. This list is by no means exhaustive.

No, wind energy projects take, on average, at least four years to develop before generating any revenues at all (and not all gain planning permission even at this stage) and thereafter only deliver a reasonable return after 20 years of operations (akin to most energy or large scale infrastructure projects).

Desert Sky is on the Indian Mesa (a mesa is a flattop hill) in West Texas just north of Interstate 10 about 45 miles east of Fort Stockton and 12 miles northwest of Iraan (off US Highway 190). The wind farm is in Pecos County.

The Desert Sky Wind Farm has a power generation capacity of 160.5 megawatts (160,500 kilowatts), enough to supply about 40,000 average American homes.

Enron Wind (now GE Wind Energy) developed the project, with initial groundbreaking in November 2000 and project completion in December 2001. AEP purchased the project in December 2001.

There is currently no evidence in the UK that shows that wind farms have a lasting effect on house prices. Applications for new development can cause a degree of uncertainty in property values, but as confirmed by recent surveys any negative effect on values lessens over time as the form of development is confirmed.

The British Wind Energy Association and the Scottish Renewables Forum commissioned MORI Scotland to undertake a survey about tourist’s attitudes towards wind farms. The poll was undertaken in 2002 regarding wind farms in the Argyll & Bute area, this area was chosen as it had the greatest concentration of wind farms in Scotland.

When sizing a VRB-ESS and wind farm the rule of thumb is that you need between 15 to 20% of the wind farm nameplate size in storage to achieve a 90% smooth output. The duration of storage is determined by tariffs, cost of undelivered energy, periods of low wind (wind regimen) and economics. The VRB can provide PULSE output up to 100% of its rating short term and longer term at 50% of rating allowing it to capture spikes of wind and to smooth volatility very well.

Community and stakeholder consultation is an important part of the resource consent process because it is crucial that people have an opportunity to have their points of view considered on energy development projects. People are welcome to attend open days, request meetings with the consent applicant, or make submissions as part of the consent process for proposed wind farms.

There is a very good book on this subject, 'Wind Power Workshop' by Hugh Piggott, available from the Centre for Alternative Technology. For a brief idea of what is involved see how to build your own wind turbine. However, as with all technical and potentially dangerous equipment, most people should buy commercially manufactures and professionally tested machines.

No. Neither Bayfield County nor Municipalities in the county do inspections to see that the code is complied with. However; the State UDC (Uniform Dwelling Code) is applicable to construction. It is up to the property owner or agent to contract with a UDC inspector to insure that the building complies with the Uniform Dwelling Code.

There are currently four operational offshore wind farms in UK waters. It is still a lot more expensive to have offshore wind farms, and still requires further support by the government, although the price of offshore wind energy is coming down. Further offshore projects are currently proposed for UK waters, however their development and construction will take a lot longer to deliver as experience is gained from the current offshore wind farms in the UK and Europe.

There are calls to combine tidal and wind power and install tidal stream turbines on the bases of offshore wind turbines. Marine renewables, however, are at an earlier stage of development than offshore wind so it will be many years yet before these developments occur. Find out more about BWEA's marine renewables work.

Yes! Just one 75 MW installation would create an estimated 245 jobs. The offshore wind energy industry in the UK represents a total potential market of £48 billion, and the creation of an entirely new industry will have significant effects beyond the employment figures.

Price stability. Electricity from wind is inflation-proof, and not subject to the price volatility of natural gas, oil, and coal. In the near future, these fossil fuel plants very likely will have to pay carbon taxes related to their greenhouse gas emissions; these taxes could be quite high. On the other hand, wind is a free, and inexhaustible, fuel source. Moreover, a wind park has low, predictable operation and maintenance costs.