Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
This chapter begins with a brief review of the risks to human safety and
the environment posed by structural failures in offshore wind turbines. It
compares these risks with those associated with other offshore industries
and with land-based energy industry infrastructure. It then considers how
regulation in these areas has evolved away from a detailed, prescriptive
model and toward a more performance-based model, and what this sug-
gests about approaches to overseeing wind energy development on the
U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS).
RISKS TO HUMAN LIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT POSED
BY STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF OFFSHORE FACILITIES
Government regulation of offshore facilities, such as oil and gas structures
and marine vessels, and of land-based infrastructure, such as buildings and
bridges, focuses on mitigating risk to human life and the environment.
Other risks, such as those of direct economic losses from structural dam-
age and of indirect losses due to interruption of function, forgone oppor-
tunities, and loss of amenity, are generally not addressed in government
regulations, although they may be of concern to individuals, project oper-
ators, insurers, and other stakeholder groups.
Risk to Human Life and Safety
Risk to human life from the structural failure of offshore wind installa-
tions is limited compared with risks from other offshore facilities, such as
oil and gas platforms and marine vessels. Offshore wind towers are nor-
mally unmanned, so they pose limited risk to human life. The most dan-
gerous element in the operation of an offshore wind farm is the transfer
of personnel to the turbines for installation, inspection, and maintenance.
Because the turbines can only be accessed by boat or helicopter, the abil-
ity to reach the turbines is highly dependent on the sea state. Personnel
may find themselves stranded on a turbine structure if waves increase in
magnitude while maintenance is being conducted. With the exception
of wind turbine installations in regions of high seismic activity, how-
ever, it is not anticipated that humans would be on any turbine struc-
ture throughout the duration of an extreme external condition such as
a powerful storm.
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