We’ve all seen wind farms while driving through vast country land. But these aren’t the only large spinning structures contributing to energy production. Offshore farms make up about 7 percent of total production, with a great focus on increasing this number. Below, we take a brief look at how the future might look and how these numbers will likely change.
The Allure of Offshore Farms
With more land becoming restricted and limited, the future of wind energy production is turning to offshore locations. The open water offers more opportunities for reliable and continuous production and eliminates the need to rely on other renewable energy sources.
Wind is the primary contributor to production, and it is readily available through offshore locations. Another one of the most alluring side effects of offshore production efforts is that the locations are far removed from human life and cannot experience any restrictions or resistance.
Developmental Shifts
In the early days of offshore wind turbines and production, projects were scarce due to the hefty price tags that accompanied them. Through advanced development and a little patience, the price tag has come down significantly per unit. The developmental shifts that helped contribute to reduced costs include larger turbines, further education and allocation, and rapid global expansion of farms.
The bigger the turbine, the more power it can pull and release. These modern advancements make the future of offshore wind production appealing to energy grids and large corporations that have high energy demands.
The Decision To Fix or Float Turbines
With scaling and production costs on the table, manufacturers, engineers, and servicing teams are at a crossroads of deciding if the future of wind production is fixed or floating. As of right now, wind turbines are known as fixed bottoms. And while this is structurally sound and common, the idea of floating wind turbines is on the table.
A few factors that might bring this idea to fruition include improved energy production rates, quicker scale rates, and improved onshore wind turbine developments. A significant portion of offshore production success can be linked to the successes of onshore production, made possible by things such as mechanical corrections, maintenance demands, and technological improvements. Every wind turbine, regardless of location, requires various mandatory maintenance logs.
Offshore Production Challenges
Like anything highly technical and in demand, there are a number of challenges in all elements of the process, from development and finances to execution and energy supply. One of the biggest hurdles in the future of wind energy production is scaling the production capacity while maintaining the affordability factor for those relying on the energy. Delivering results with reliable cost-effectiveness is the industry’s biggest hurdle yesterday, today, and even tomorrow.
There is no doubt that renewable energy breaks barriers for everyday consumers and manufacturers. The future of offshore energy shines a light on ways to expand production with the primary objective of clean, affordable energy usage.