Winds of Change: Will Your Beach View Include a Wind Turbine Soon?

This week, I attended the UNC Clean Tech Summit, an annual event at UNC-Chapel Hill that brings together industry professionals and academics from across the world to talk about how to use clean technology to address worldwide issues. The idea for this week’s blog arose as I bounced around the different discussions from panelists across the world. I found that many of these leaders in the industry, from economics experts to policy experts, spoke about the expansion of offshore wind. If this transition is happening as quickly as many of these experts said, Americans need to know what offshore wind looks like and how it will contribute to the energy grid that powers our lives. So, let’s get into it!

Wind turbines are some of the most iconic and recognizable forms of clean energy. The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) explains that the turbines produce energy by wind spinning the large blades, which then spin a rotor. That rotor connects to a generator, which creates the electricity used by consumers. Wind turbines are often extremely tall to reach stronger winds, which generates higher levels of electricity. EERE also notes that winds above 100 meters tend to be less turbulent, causing the industry to continuously produce taller wind turbines.

This VOX graphic shows how different types of offshore wind and onshore wind compare with familiar landmarks.

At this point, most people are familiar with seeing onshore wind energy. Offshore wind functions very similarly, but offshore wind often attempts to address some of the issues that arise from having onshore turbines. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Kansas, Iowa, California, Texas, and Oklahoma currently account for more than 50% of America’s wind generation capacity. Offshore wind creates the opportunity to place wind energy closer to densely populated areas, especially along the East Coast. This creates shorter transmission distances, meaning the generated electricity must travel less to reach people compared to many onshore wind options. Offshore winds also tend to be more powerful and consistent, and offshore turbines also solve conflicts over land usage for turbine placement.

But are offshore wind turbines going to mess up those beachy views that we all adore? The answer is probably not! According to estimates from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) wind energy is moving further offshore. NREL projects that the average distance from shore for most wind turbines will be 70 kilometers by 2025.

This image by TebNad/Shutterstock shows what a group of offshore wind turbines looks like.

Offshore wind is coming to the U.S., and soon. The Biden Administration announced in March 2021 that the administration is jumpstarting offshore wind growth due to its potential to create jobs and contribute to climate and environmental goals. So, you may be hearing and seeing more of offshore wind soon, but don’t worry. You probably won’t be spotting it from your beach chair. Thanks for reading!