Offshore wind

Turbines at sea, on fixed foundations in shallow water or floating platforms in deep water.

Capture · Wind · No. 27

• Capture
• Output: Electricity

In Norway, eleven giant wind turbines float on concrete structures in water up to 300 m deep, powering oil fields.

Chart: Illustration: Offshore wind

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Wind over the sea meets no hills, trees or buildings, so it blows faster and steadier. New offshore farms averaged a 41% capacity factor in 2025, against 36% on land.

Three things to know

1. Norway's Hywind Tampen floats eleven 8 MW turbines in about 260-300 m of water, supplying about 35% of the power for nearby oil fields.
2. Each megawatt at sea needs about 540 t of steel and about 15.5 t of critical minerals, against roughly 10 t on land.
3. Hammering a foundation into the seabed drives harbour porpoises away from about 17 km around, even with noise reduction.

The journey

1. 1 Sea windFaster, steadier air with no obstacles
2. 2 RotorBlades over 80 m long turn the shaft
3. 3 FoundationMonopile, jacket, gravity base or floating platform
4. 4 Array cableLinks each turbine to a substation
5. 5 Export linkSubsea cable or HVDC line to shore

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