Offshore Wind Could Power The World
Massive offshore wind farms are popping up all over the world, but it’s only the beginning
In the world of energy, offshore wind remains relatively young. In 1991, the world’s very first offshore wind farm was commissioned off the coast of Vindeby, Denmark.
By modern standards, the Vindeby farm was tiny. It consisted of 11 individual turbines, each of which had a maximum capacity of 450 kW. Altogether, the wind farm had a maximum capacity of 4.95 MW — about 1% of a typical natural gas plant.
The tiny Vindeby farm was decommissioned in 2017 due to cost reasons, but it sparked a global wave of offshore wind development.
In the thirty years since its installation, the offshore wind industry has expanded to countries all over the world. The turbines have grown exponentially in size — a single turbine now typically produces more electricity than the entire Vindeby farm.
But even current wind farms barely scratch the surface of offshore wind potential. As more countries look to offshore wind for clean energy, it is quickly becoming one of the most important energy sources in the world.
