The role of innovation - Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development - page 198

problem, the Japanese government has invested more than 22 billion yen
($226 million in U.S dollars) in the development of floating turbines near
the Fukishima coastline with an intention to install a total of 140 floating
turbines in the area capable of generating more than 1 GW of electricity by
2020. 14
Deep offshore wind energy technologies like those being developed in
Japan are becoming an increasingly attractive renewable energy strategy
in countries throughout the world. Deep offshore wind energy is not just
appealing because of the high quality of the wind resources involved;
it is also far less likely to disrupt neighbors than onshore or shallow
offshore wind energy development. Wind turbines installed a dozen miles
offshore are practically invisible from coastlines and thus pose no risk of
blemishing beachfront views. Their distance from homes and businesses
also effectively eliminates any chance of noise disturbances, flicker effects,
ice throws or most other sorts of conflict between wind turbines and
neighbors. 15
Deep offshore wind energy projects likewise avoid many of the trans-
mission-related obstacles to onshore wind energy. As described in Chapter
7 , much of the global population resides near coastlines, far from inland
regions where the greatest concentrations of developable onshore wind are
found. Because of this geographic mismatch between population centers
and onshore wind resources, onshore wind energy development increas-
ingly requires costly expansions of transmission infrastructure. Siting and
funding these expansions can be prohibitively challenging, particularly
when transmission routes must traverse jurisdictional boundaries. Such
transmission constraints are potentially less of a concern in the context
of deep offshore wind energy because deep offshore projects can be sited
much closer to coastal cities. Far fewer miles of transmission infrastructure
are required to deliver electricity from deep offshore wind farms to large
populations of end users.
Despite the aforementioned advantages, deep offshore wind energy devel-
opment obviously presents several unique challenges of its own. Perhaps
most daunting among them are the logistical difficulties associated with
installing gigantic wind turbines in unpredictable deep sea environments
where waves, changing tides, high winds, and other uncontrollable factors
can complicate construction. 16 Even after developers install them, offshore
wind turbines and transmission lines themselves must be built to withstand
storms, salt water corrosion, and the constant beating of ocean waves. 17
Technologies developed for offshore oil and gas extraction are somewhat
helpful in the global effort to design deep offshore wind energy facilities,
but the unique aspects of offshore wind energy projects still require their
own distinct strategies and designs. Fortunately, costs associated with these
new technologies are gradually coming down to the point that offshore
wind energy is at last becoming more cost-competitive with other energy
strategies. 18