How will nature respond to floating offshore wind farms?

Interview with Dorothy Dankel on sustainability and circularity.

"The fact of the matter is that we don't know how nature is going to respond to floating offshore wind in particular," Dorothy says. "It's really important to meet with different people in the marine sector and (...) our industry is also dependent on a healthy ocean".

Offshore wind is key to the development of wind energy and the green transition. However, its success depends on a balance of coexistence with other marine sectors and collaboration with emerging technologies like offshore aquaculture.

“Yet, many questions remain unanswered. How will nature respond to floating offshore wind farms,” she asks. “What are the electromagnetic impacts of cables on marine life?

These uncertainties also present opportunities for collaboration, leveraging new technologies to gather data for e.g. digital twins.

Circularity extends beyond mere recycling. It encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the value chains involved in wind turbine production, considering all emissions from cradle to grave.

"It's basically life cycle assessment on steroids", Dorothy adds. "There's a lot of different analyses that need to converge so we can think about a real circular aspect of not just materials, but also the energy that's made and how offshore wind can be best in class in regards to circularity."

Dorothy Dankel is Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF Ocean and the current coordinator of EERA JP Wind's sub-programme 4.

Produced by Simon Rubin.