Is offshore wind power sustainable?

Because offshore turbines are typically installed far from shore, their visual and noise impacts are minimal for most coastal communities. Our experience from existing wind farms indicates that they are barely visible on the horizon. Many new wind farms are built so far offshore that they are impossible to see due to sea haze or the curvature of the earth. However, the further out to sea, the stronger and more reliable the wind conditions are for wind farms.

There are many incorrect claims about emissions from the production of wind turbines and how much electricity they produce during the operational phase. The British fact-checkers FullFact have previously investigated a claim that more energy is required to produce wind turbines than they produce over their lifetime. They concluded that the claim was false.

In 2014, the UN climate panel carried out a comparison of common energy sources. In their study, land-based wind power had the lowest total emissions, that is, emissions of CO₂ equivalents per kWh of electricity produced. Offshore wind power also has very low emissions, just behind onshore wind and nuclear power.

While the construction phase of wind farms causes some temporary disturbance, many studies suggest that once established, offshore wind farms create artificial reefs and ecosystems, benefitting marine life and allowing fish, shellfish and other sea creatures to thrive and reproduce.

We understand that concerns are often raised about the impact on fishing and shipping lanes. However, in our experience, close dialogue and clear regulations can mitigate these issues, allowing for coexistence with marine industries. Exclusion zones around wind farms are often reduced once the construction phase is finished, allowing certain types of fishing activity to return to the area, and boats to sail between the turbines.

Through a partnership with Marine Scotland Science, Equinor has undertaken trials at Hywind Scotland to find out whether it is possible to fish safely with certain types of static fishing gear inside the turbine area of a floating offshore wind farm. These trials show that under the right conditions, and with the right information, it is possible to safely deploy and recover fishing gear within a wind farm. These trials provide valuable insights for Equinor's floating offshore wind projects all over the world.

This is a false claim, misinterpreting and oversimplifying the fact that the amount of electricity wind turbines generate varies depending on the wind conditions. Because of the variations in the strength of the wind, turbines cannot produce at 100% capacity factor all the time. Data from Norwegian wind farms show that turbines produce all year round, but that the capacity factor varies.

There’s a misconception that wind energy is unreliable and inefficient. Offshore wind turbines can be more efficient than their onshore counterparts due to stronger and more consistent wind patterns at sea. Thanks to our decades of experience with offshore operations, we have detailed wind speed data dating back many years that confirm the strength of offshore winds.

There’s a widespread belief that wind turbines lead to high bird mortality rates. Studies indicate that, while there is some impact, it is significantly lower than other human-related causes of bird deaths. During migration, birds gain altitude, and many species fly at 2,000 to 5,000 feet or higher using prevailing winds to assist them. Seabirds living near the surface of the sea fly within 20 m height above sea level for most of their time during flight.

The belief that offshore wind turbines have a short lifespan and are not a sustainable long-term solution is not accurate. With proper maintenance, these turbines are designed to operate effectively for at least 25 years.

When wind turbines come to the end of their service life, we must ensure that the turbines can be recycled as far as possible. Together with partners, we are working to achieve 100% recycling of wind turbine blades by developing a fully circular value chain. We are also working to increase our understanding of opportunities within the circular economy, looking at waste management in general and concrete opportunities for recycling, for example of wind turbine blades.

There have been claims in social media that a wind turbine can emit up to 2 tonnes of microplastics in their lifetime. Raindrops and dust particles in the atmosphere can slightly erode the coating layer on the turbine tips and leading edges, but thorough investigation carried out in Norway shows that microplastic emissions rarely exceed 200 grams (0.2 kg) per year per turbine. The claims have been fact-checked and found to be false. For more information, see below.