Offshore Wind

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

Wind energy harvested from turbines installed in bodies of water, typically on the continental shelf. Offshore sites benefit from stronger and more consistent winds than onshore equivalents, enabling higher capacity factors, but incur greater installation and maintenance costs due to the marine environment.

Examples

• The UK leads Europe in installed offshore wind capacity, with gigawatt-scale farms in the North Sea.
• Floating offshore wind technology is opening up deep-water sites previously inaccessible to fixed-bottom turbines.