Offshore Wind

Frequently Asked Questions

The Blue Energy Futures Lab is a developing and expanding interdisciplinary research team from the University of Wollongong who are interested in the emergence of new offshore sustainable industries, such as offshore wind.

They have compiled an excellent list of questions and answers on offshore wind. Follow the link to read the information they have pulled together from international literature and their own research on offshore wind.  

Frequently Asked Questions

The Blue Energy Futures Lab is a developing and expanding interdisciplinary research team from the University of Wollongong who are interested in the emergence of new offshore sustainable industries, such as offshore wind.

They have compiled an excellent list of questions and answers on offshore wind. Follow the link to read the information they have pulled together from international literature and their own research on offshore wind.  

Find out more
About Offshore Wind
A Low-Carbon Source of Renewable Energy

Floating off-shore wind farms can be many kilometres offshore, and are considered to have many unique benefits over both land-based wind farms and solar panels.

Off-shore wind farms generally experience more consistent and stronger winds compared to land-based wind farms. Floating offshore wind farms can be located further offshore in deeper waters, where the wind is stronger and more consistent, allowing for larger wind turbines to be used, which in turn results in a higher energy output and more electricity generated.

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Blue Economy CRC -Offshore Wind Energy in Australia (July 2021) Summary of key outcomes for NSW
  • The ability to build and connect a large volume of renewable energy through a single project could be a valuable resource to mitigate against risks of a disorderly transition of electricity generation sources later in the decade, as coal fired power plants close.

  • The larger opportunity for offshore wind however is as a source of electricity for green hydrogen production for port-based export facilities, local heavy industry (e.g.‘green steel’) and as a transport fuel. Where it is co-located with industrial ports or offshore gas infrastructure, hydrogen produced by offshore wind could have competitive advantages.

  • Newcastle is one of the Australia’s centres for coal power generation with strong power grids and is one of the largest coal export harbours worldwide. The Munmorah coal power station south of Newcastle had a capacity of 1,400 MW and closed in 2012. A further four coal fired power stations with a total capacity of 8.5 GW in the Upper Hunter Valley and Central Coast areas arescheduled to close in future years. Newcastle is home to large industrial loads such as the Tomago Aluminium smelter drawing 950MW, steel makers Molycopand Liberty, and the Orica chemical plant.

  • The best of the offshore wind resources for NSW is seen at Newcastle, where capacity factor exceeds 39% (44% 50km offshore), with the lowest correlation to the onshore wind resource (31%), and out of phase with solar PV. The narrowness of the NSW coast limits the accessibility to this resource to floating systems, butoffers immense opportunity proximal to Australia’s largest energy demand. Existing infrastructure includes not only a strong transmission grid, but highly developed port facilities, steel mills,fabrication and manufacturing facilities and a skilled workforce.

  • The current actual peak load of New South Wales is at around 13.5 GW. The modelled total installed capacity of all variable power generation plants is 28 GW, including 10 GW solar, 9 GW onshore wind and 9 GW offshore wind.

windmill ocean

Floating off-shore wind farms are less visually and audibly intrusive than land-based wind farms and reduce the potential impact on local communities. This is particularly important for areas that are well populated, like the Hunter region, where land-based wind farms may not be suitable due to concerns about noise and visual impact.

While solar panels can only generate energy during the day, offshore wind farms are also able to generate energy during the night ensuring a continuous supply of energy. Plus, offshore wind farms are less affected by weather conditions, such as clouds and fog, and can be relocated. This makes offshore wind farms a reliable source of energy, particularly in areas with variable weather patterns.

Clean and low-carbon energy source

The wind is renewable, so it will never run out

Faster and more consistent offshore winds mean more energy can be generated

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