The effects of temporary exclusion of activity due to wind farm construction on a lobster (Homarus gammarus) fishery suggests a potential management approach

Abstract Offshore wind farms (OWF) form an important part of many countries strategy for responding to the threat of climate change, their development can conflict with other offshore activities. Static gear fisheries targeting sedentary benthic species are particularly affected by spatial management that involves exclusion of fishers. Here we investigate the ecological effect of a short-term closure of a European lobster (Homarus gammarus (L.)) fishing ground, facilitated by the development of the Westermost Rough OWF located on the north-east coast of the United Kingdom. We also investigate the effects on the population when the site is reopened on completion of the construction. We find that temporary closure offers some respite for adult animals and leads to increases in abundance and size of the target species in that area. Reopening of the site to fishing exploitation saw a decrease in catch rates and size structure, this did not reach levels below that of the surrounding area. Opening the site to exploitation allows the fishery to recuperate some of the economic loss during the closure. We suggest that our results may indicate that temporary closures of selected areas may be beneficial and offer a management option for lobster fisheries.

Download Full-text

Dynamic Modeling of an Offshore Floating Wind Turbine for Application in the Mediterranean Sea

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14010248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 248

Author(s):

Lorenzo Cottura ◽

Riccardo Caradonna ◽

Alberto Ghigo ◽

Riccardo Novo ◽

Giovanni Bracco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wind Turbine ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Reference Model ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Floating Wind Turbine ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Offshore Floating Wind Turbine

Wind power is emerging as one of the most sustainable and low-cost options for energy production. Far-offshore floating wind turbines are attractive in view of exploiting high wind availability sites while minimizing environmental and landscape impact. In the last few years, some offshore floating wind farms were deployed in Northern Europe for technology validation, with very promising results. At present time, however, no offshore wind farm installations have been developed in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this work is to comprehensively model an offshore floating wind turbine and examine the behavior resulting from a wide spectrum of sea and wind states typical of the Mediterranean Sea. The flexible and accessible in-house model developed for this purpose is compared with the reference model FAST v8.16 for verifying its reliability. Then, a simulation campaign is carried out to estimate the wind turbine LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy). Based on this, the best substructure is chosen and the convenience of the investment is evaluated.

Download Full-text

Monitoring fisheries resources at offshore wind farms: BACI vs. BAG designs

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsaa026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 890-900

Author(s):

Elizabeth T Methratta

Keyword(s):

Statistical Power ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Cultural Value ◽

Analytical Models ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Fisheries Resources ◽

Unaffected Control ◽

Before And After

Abstract Offshore wind farms often co-occur with biodiverse marine ecosystems with high ecological, economic, and cultural value. Yet there are many uncertainties about how wind farms affect marine organisms and their environment. The before–after–control–impact (BACI) design, an approach that compares an impact location with an unaffected control both before and after the intervention, is the most common method used to study how offshore wind farms affect finfish. Unfortunately, this design has several methodological limitations that undermine its ability to detect effects in these studies. An alternative approach, the before–after-gradient (BAG) design, would sample along a gradient with increasing distance from the turbines both before and after the intervention, and could overcome many of the limitations of BACI. The BAG design would eliminate the difficult task of finding a suitable control, allow for the assessment of the spatial scale and extent of wind farm effects, and improve statistical power by incorporating distance as an independent variable in analytical models rather than relegating it to the error term. This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of the BACI and BAG designs in the context of offshore wind development and suggests an approach to incorporating the BAG design into existing fisheries surveys and a regional monitoring framework.

Download Full-text

Analysis of offshore wind farm located on Baltic Sea

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201913701049 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 137 ◽

pp. 01049

Author(s):

Anna Sobotka ◽

Kajetan Chmielewski ◽

Marcin Rowicki ◽

Justyna Dudzińska ◽

Przemysław Janiak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

The European Union ◽

European Union Policy ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Wind Measurements ◽

The Baltic

Poland is currently at the beginning of the energy transformation. Nowadays, most of the electricity generated in Poland comes from coal combustion. However, in accordance to the European Union policy of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, there are already plans to switch to low-emission energy sources in Poland, one of which are offshore wind farms. The article presents the current regulatory environment of the offshore wind energy in Poland, along with a reference to Polish and European decarbonisation plans. In the further part of the article, the methods of determining the kinetic energy of wind and the power curve of a wind turbine are discussed. Then, on the basis of historical data of wind speeds collected in the area of the Baltic Sea, calculations are carried out leading to obtain statistical distributions of power that could be generated by an exemplary wind farm with a power capacity of 400 MW, located at the place of wind measurements. On their basis, statistical differences in the wind power generation between years, months of the year and hours of the day are analysed.

Download Full-text

An Extended Pattern Search Method for Offshore Floating Wind Layout and Turbine Geometry Optimization

Volume 2A: 42nd Design Automation Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2016-60151 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Caitlin Forinash ◽

Bryony DuPont

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Cost Model ◽

Geometry Optimization ◽

Interaction Model ◽

Solution Space ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Power Production ◽

Pattern Search ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Extended Pattern Search

An Extended Pattern Search (EPS) method is developed to optimize the layout and turbine geometry for offshore floating wind power systems. The EPS combines a deterministic pattern search with stochastic extensions. Three advanced models are incorporated: (1) a cost model considering investment and lifetime costs of a floating offshore wind farm comprised of WindFloat platforms; (2) a wake propagation and interaction model able to determine the reduced wind speeds downstream of rotating blades; and (3) a power model to determine power produced at each rotor, and includes a semi-continuous, discrete turbine geometry selection to optimize the rotor radius and hub height of individual turbines. The objective function maximizes profit by minimizing cost, minimizing wake interactions, and maximizing power production. A multidirectional, multiple wind speed case is modeled which is representative of real wind site conditions. Layouts are optimized within a square solution space for optimal positioning and turbine geometry for farms containing a varying number of turbines. Resulting layouts are presented; optimized layouts are biased towards dominant wind directions. Preliminary results will inform developers of best practices to include in the design and installation of offshore floating wind farms, and of the resulting cost and power production of wind farms that are computationally optimized for realistic wind conditions.

Download Full-text

A Study on the New Grid Integration Solutions of Offshore Wind Farms

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.383-390.3610 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 383-390 ◽

pp. 3610-3616 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xin Yin Zhang ◽

Zai Jun Wu ◽

Si Peng Hao ◽

Ke Xu

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Grid Integration ◽

Variable Speed ◽

Reliable Operation ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Electrical Interconnection ◽

Investment Cost ◽

And Performance

Offshore wind farm is developed in the ascendant currently. The reliable operation, power loss, investment cost and performance of wind farms were effect by the integration solutions of electrical interconnection system directly. Several new integration configurations based on VSC-HVDC were comparative analyzed. For the new HVDC topology applied the wind farm internal DC bus, the Variable Speed DC (VSDC) system that is suitable for those topologies was proposed. The structure of VSDC was discussed and maximum wind power tracking was simulated on the minimal system. It is clear that new integration configurations based on VSC-HVDC has good prospects.

Download Full-text

Optimization of O&M for Offshore Wind Farms Modelling for WMTC Conferences

10.5957/wmtc-2015-214 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Nivet ◽

Ema Muk-Pavic

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Offshore Wind Turbine ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Operation Analysis ◽

Cost Effective Approach ◽

Failure Evaluation

Offshore wind energy is one of the most upcoming sources of energy, and it is already partially replacing the fossil fuelled power production. However, offshore wind turbine technology is also associated with harsher weather environment. Indeed, it experiences more challenging wind and wave conditions, which in turn limits the vessels capabilities to access the wind farms. Additionally, with the constant rise of power utilization, improvements in the Operation Maintenance (O&M) planning are crucial for the development of large isolated offshore wind farms. Improvements in the planning of the O&M for offshore wind farms could lead to considerable reduction in costs. For this reason, the interest of this research paper is the investigation of the most cost effective approach to offshore turbine maintenance strategies. This objective is achieved by implementing a simulation approach that includes a climate conditions analysis, an operation analysis, a failure evaluation and a simulation of the repairs. This paper points out how different O&M strategies can influence the sustainability of a wind farm.

Download Full-text

Community Benefits and UK Offshore Wind Farms: Evolving Convergence in a Divergent Practice

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management ◽

10.1142/s1464333221500010 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2150001

Author(s):

John Glasson

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Host Community ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Energy Industry ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Onshore Wind ◽

Community Benefits ◽

The Uk ◽

Renewable Energy Industry

The Offshore Wind sector is a major, dynamic, and rapidly evolving renewable energy industry. This is particularly so in Europe, and especially in the UK. Associated with the growth of the industry has been a growth of interest in community benefits as voluntary measures provided by a developer to the host community. However, in many cases, and for some of the large North Sea distant offshore wind farms, the benefits packages have been disparate and pro rata much smaller than for the well-established onshore wind farm industry. However, there are signs of change. This paper explores the issues of community benefits for the UK offshore sector and evolving practice, as reflected in a macro study of the adoption of community benefits approaches across the industry. This is followed by a more in-depth micro- approach, which explores approaches that have been adopted in three case studies of recent OWF projects — Aberdeen, Beatrice and the Hornsea Array. Whilst there is still much divergence in practice, there are also examples of some convergence, and the development of a more replicable practice. Particularly notable is the adoption of annual community benefits funds, as the key element of community benefits schemes/agreements between developers, local authorities and local communities.

Download Full-text

A cross-sectional survey of physical strains among offshore wind farm workers in the German exclusive economic zone

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020157 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. e020157 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Marcial Velasco Garrido ◽

Janika Mette ◽

Stefanie Mache ◽

Volker Harth ◽

Alexandra M Preisser

Keyword(s):

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Exclusive Economic Zone ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Upper Body ◽

Offshore Wind Farm ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Heavy Loads ◽

Under Construction

ObjectivesTo assess the physical strains of employees in the German offshore wind industry, according to job type and phase of the wind farm (under construction or operation).DesignWeb-based cross-sectional survey.SettingOffshore wind farm companies operating within the German exclusive economic zone.ParticipantsMale workers with regular offshore commitments and at least 28 days spent offshore in the past year (n=268).Outcome measuresPhysical strains (eg, climbing, noise, working overhead, with twisted upper body or in confined spaces, vibration, heavy lifting, humidity, odours).ResultsThe most frequently mentioned physical strain was ’climbing’ with 63.8% of the respondents reporting to be always or frequently confronted with climbing and ascending stairs during offshore work. Work as a technician was associated with a greater exposition to noise, vibrations, humidity, cold, heat, chemical substances, lifting/carrying heavy loads, transport of equipment, working in non-ergonomic positions and in cramped spaces, as well as climbing.Indeed, statistical analyses showed that, after adjusting for phase of the wind farm, age, nationality, offshore experience, work schedule and type of shift, compared with non-technicians, working as a technician was associated with more frequently lifting/carrying of heavy loads (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.23), transport of equipment (OR 2.06 95% CI 1.27 to 3.33), working with a twisted upper body (OR 2.85 95% CI 1.74 to 4.69), working overhead (OR 2.77 95% CI 1.67 to 4.58) and climbing (OR 2.30 95% CI 1.40 to 3.77). Working in wind farms under construction was strongly associated with increased and decreased exposure to humidity (OR 2.32 95% CI 1.38 to 3.92) and poor air quality (OR 0.58 95% CI 0.35 to 0.95), respectively.ConclusionsWorkers on offshore wind farms constitute a heterogeneous group, including a wide variety of occupations. The degree of exposure to detrimental physical strains varies depending on the type of job. Technicians are more exposed to ergonomic challenges than other offshore workers.

Download Full-text

An ecosystem approach for studying the impact of offshore wind farms: a French case study

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsy125 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 1238-1246 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jean-Philippe Pezy ◽

Aurore Raoux ◽

Jean-Claude Dauvin

Keyword(s):

Network Analysis ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Ecosystem Approach ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Ecosystem Structure ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Ecopath Model ◽

The Impact

Abstract The French government is planning the construction of offshore wind farms (OWF) in the next decade (around 2900 MW). Following the European Environmental Impact Assessment Directive 85/337/EEC, several studies have been undertaken to identify the environmental conditions and ecosystem functioning at selected sites prior to OWF construction. However, these studies are generally focused on the conservation of some species and there is no holistic approach for analysing the effects arising from OWF construction and operation. The objective of this article is to promote a sampling strategy to collect data on the different ecosystem compartments of the future Dieppe-Le Tréport (DLT) wind farm site, adopting an ecosystem approach, which could be applied to other OWFs for the implementation of a trophic network analysis. For that purpose, an Ecopath model is used here to derive indices from Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) to investigate the ecosystem structure and functioning. The results show that the ecosystem is most likely detritus-based, associated with a biomass dominated by bivalves, which could act as a dead end for a classic trophic food web since their consumption by top predators is low in comparison to their biomass. The systemic approach developed for DLT OWF site should be applied for other French and European installations of Offshore Wind Farm.

Download Full-text

Offshore Wind Energy and the Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool: A Review of Potential Interactions

Marine Technology Society Journal ◽

10.4031/mtsj.55.4.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 72-87

Author(s):

Travis Miles ◽

Sarah Murphy ◽

Josh Kohut ◽

Sarah Borsetti ◽

Daphne Munroe

Keyword(s):

Wind Energy ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Vertical Mixing ◽

Wind Farms ◽

The United States ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Cold Pool ◽

Ocean Bottom ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Seasonal Thermocline

Abstract The U.S. East Coast has 1.7 million acres of federal bottom under lease for the development of wind energy installations, with plans for more than 1,500 foundations to be placed. The scale of these wind farms has the potential to alter the unique and delicate oceanographic conditions along the expansive Atlantic continental shelf, a region characterized by a strong seasonal thermocline that overlies cold bottom water, known as the “Cold Pool.” Strong seasonal stratification traps cold (typically less than 10°C) water above the ocean bottom sustaining a boreal fauna that represents vast fisheries, including the most lucrative shellfish fisheries in the United States. This paper reviews the existing literature and research pertaining to the ways in which offshore wind farms may alter processes that establish, maintain, and degrade stratification associated with the Cold Pool through vertical mixing in this seasonally dynamic system. Changes in stratification could have important consequences in Cold Pool setup and degradation, processes fundamental to high fishery productivity of the region. The potential for these multiple wind energy arrays to alter oceanographic processes and the biological systems that rely on them is possible; however, a great deal of uncertainty remains about the nature and scale of these interactions. Research should be prioritized that identifies stratification thresholds of influence, below which turbines and wind farm arrays may alter oceanographic processes. These should be examined within context of spatial and seasonal dynamics of the Cold Pool and offshore wind lease areas to identify potential areas of further study.

Download Full-text