Europe could theoretically produce all of its electricity needs from offshore wind power. With that objective, the continent’s coastal nations are leasing out large parts of their waters. But too dense a forest of turbines could become an economic problem. As the blades of each individual turbine go round, they take strength out of the wind, researchers have found. The blades harvest energy that is then converted into electricity. The net result is that downwind blades will not be turning as fast; the energy otherwise available from the wind can be cut 20% as far as 50km away.
This drop will be enough to make some windfarms uneconomical, especially with construction costs rising and profit margins being squeezed. Some offshore windfarm projects have already been postponed, but despite this a dozen countries are pressing ahead with projects close to the boundaries of their exclusive economic zones, hoping to make the most of the available winds.
There are no international agreements at present on how to deal with potential conflict of interest when these planned windfarms are close to those of neighbours. The researchers suggest political cooperation is urgently needed to avoid international conflict over this resource that could otherwise disrupt Europe’s green energy transition.
