offshore wind

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the generation of electricity from wind turbines installed in bodies of water, typically at sea on the continental shelf, where wind speeds are higher and more consistent than on land and where very large turbine arrays can be deployed without the land-use conflicts and visual impact that affect onshore wind development; offshore wind turbines are mounted on fixed foundations in shallower waters or on floating platforms in deeper seas, and the electricity is transmitted to shore via subsea cables; the UK, Denmark, China, and the United States have been leaders in offshore wind deployment, with turbine capacities exceeding fifteen megawatts per unit by the mid-2020s; offshore wind is considered a critical technology for decarbonising electricity grids in coastal nations with limited land for large-scale renewable development