Off Shore Wind Energy

LWFs

Traditional windfarms located on land (LWFs) have been used for decades and for good reason. When located and designed properly, contrary to popular belief, "wind turbine syndrome" is merely a placebo effect. Residents nearing large windfarms often complain and report symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, concentration issues, nausea, and tinnitus (ear ringing); however, these reported symptoms are purely placebo as a multitude of studies have shown that shadow flicker and infrasound do not cause harm to humans. Nearby residents also claim that they are damaged by electro magnetic fields (EMFs) of the wind farm, when in reality household items have larger EMFs than wind turbines.

Although humans may not face major repercussions from LWFs, animals may have different experiences. If hit by the turbine blades, bats and birds could be killed or injured. Migratory patterns and navigation may also be greatly altered by massive wind farms as these animals may be forced to take alternate pathways, disrupting their traditional migration. Massive wind farms may also serve as mass disruptors in habitats, forcing species to relocate and altering ecosystems.

Additionally, Windmills themselves, although generate green power, are not very sustainable themselves as of now. 85% of the materials within wind turbines are recyclable, but the turbine themselves have not been properly disposed of once their lifespan ends. However, the United States Department of Energy is working on creating sustainable wind turbines using thermoplastic resin materials. These materials are easily melted and can be repurposed much easier than turbine blades of the past. Thermoplastic resin windmills also require less energy to make while having no performance issues that we are yet aware of.

Although on-shore wind farms do make immense environmental impact, they have been widely developed as they are the cheapest method of producing renewable energy. At a mere 45$ per MWh in North America, despite environmental challenges, LWFs are an extremely cheap and thus an attractive green energy source. Off shore wind farms are much more expensive than their on land counterparts as the infrastructure required for LWFs is extremely less intricate and costly.

Benefits

Energy generated by OWFs is extremely efficient. The explanation is simply physics. As oceans lack buildings, mountains, and hills, winds are completely uninterrupted and travel at greater velocities than on land. If the wind velocity is greater, according to the equation of Kinetic Energy, KE=1/2mv^2, the kinetic energy is significantly greater. For example, if the wind velocity was 9 m/s, the kinetic energy would be approximately 25 joules; however, if the wind velocity was 12 m/s, the kinetic energy would be 72 joules, a far greater increase in energy than velocity. Additionally, the Betz Limit states that you can only convert 59.3% of kinetic energy to electrical energy due to the second law of thermodynamics so every joule of energy that can be produced is essential. Therefore, as OWFs experience higher wind speeds, they generate much more energy as well.

The OWF turbines themselves can be constructed far larger than LWF turbines as well. The reason this is essential is that if you can build taller structures you can have greater rotor diameter and blade lengths. The power OWF turbines have is directly proportional to the cross sectional area of the turbine so the larger the turbines are the greater power they have, the more electricity they can send to the grid.

The ocean is a very environmentally friendly location for the construction of windfarms as well. The lack of tall structures disrupting the natural flow of wind allows for almost total laminar flow. Wind naturally travels in horizontal layers and when undisrupted, laminar or calm flow is prevalent and turbulent flow is not present. This type of flow is optimal for wind turbines as you want wind to attack the blades at closest to zero degrees as possible and interacting with laminar is the most surefire method of doing so. Additionally, there is abundant open space in the ocean, having significantly less space limitations for OWFs than LWFs, allowing for greater energy production.

Contrary to popular belief, marine ecosystems could greatly benefit from the presences of OWFs as well. The turbines could act as artificial reefs and habitats for invertebrates such as larval barnacles. This could motivate fish to populate these areas and consequently attract larger predators, transforming the OWFs into areas of plentiful biodiversity.