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CHAPTER 5: OFFSHORE


Introduction


Previous chapters have covered the fundamental technical aspects of wind energy, largely from the point of view of onshore installations.  This chapter covers those technical issues that are different for offshore wind.  The potential for offshore wind is enormous in Europe and elsewhere, but the technical challenges are also great.  The capital costs are higher than onshore, the risks are greater, the project sizes are greater, and the costs of mistakes are greater.


Offshore wind technology and practice has come a long way in a short time, but there is clearly much development still to be done.  Although the fundamentals of the technology are the same onshore and offshore, it is clear that offshore wind technology is likely to diverge further from onshore technology.  Methods of installation and operation are already very different from onshore wind generation, with great attention being given to reliability and access.

Wind resource assessment offshore >>
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