Offshore Wind

This fact sheet provides a comprehensive overview of the global offshore wind energy sector as of early 2016, contrasting the established European market with the emerging industry in the United States. It details the technical advantages of offshore wind over onshore wind, current installation capacities, key market players, and the economic and environmental impacts of the transition.

• As of June 30, 2015, Europe led the global offshore wind market with 10,393.6 MW of capacity across 82 farms and 3,072 turbines in 11 countries. Within Europe, the United Kingdom held the largest share at 5,017 MW, followed by Germany with 2,760 MW and Denmark with 1,271 MW.
• The United States possesses significant offshore wind potential, estimated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to be over 4,000 GW, which is enough to power the country four times. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projected capacity growth to 3 GW by 2020, 22 GW by 2030, and 86 GW by 2050.
• Offshore wind offers several advantages over onshore wind, including stronger and more consistent winds, which significantly increases electricity production because potential energy is proportional to the cube of wind speed. Additionally, offshore installations can be placed closer to large coastal population centers, reducing the need for long transmission lines, and avoid land-use conflicts and noise complaints.
• The first commercial offshore wind farm in the U.S. was scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016 at Block Island, Rhode Island. This pilot project by Deepwater Wind consists of five 6-MW turbines generating 30 MW to power 17,000 homes.
• Offshore wind is a significant driver of employment, particularly in economically depressed ports and shipyards. In the European Union, sector employment grew twelvefold from 2007 to 2014, reaching 75,000 jobs. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) estimates that offshore wind provides an additional 2,800 jobs per MW compared to onshore wind.
• Siemens is the dominant turbine supplier, accounting for 65.2% of all installed capacity in Europe and 86.2% of capacity installed in 2014. In terms of development, Denmark-based DONG Energy holds the largest share of installed capacity at 24.1%.
• Environmental monitoring of the Horns Rev and Nysted wind farms in Denmark from 1999 to 2006 indicated that biomass and the number of species increased due to the development of artificial reef communities. The study found bird collision risk was low and impacts on seal populations were negligible.

APA

Small, L., Beirne, S., & Gutin, O. (2016). Offshore Wind. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/factsheet-offshore-wind-2016

Chicago

Small, Laura, Samuel Beirne, and Ori Gutin. Offshore Wind. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2016. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/factsheet-offshore-wind-2016.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Small |first1=Laura |last2=Beirne |first2=Samuel |last3=Gutin |first3=Ori |title=Offshore Wind |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=4 January 2016 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/factsheet-offshore-wind-2016 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{small2016offshore, author = {Small, Laura and Beirne, Samuel and Gutin, Ori}, title = {{Offshore Wind}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/factsheet-offshore-wind-2016}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }