How offshore wind works
Understanding how we convert one of Earth’s great natural resources into electricity across the high seas.
Why offshore wind?
Offshore wind takes advantage of the wind out at sea where it maintains a constant and higher speed than on land due to lack of any barriers like buildings or bridges and natural barriers like mountains or valleys.
We install our turbines in strategic places to harness the wind and capture the most energy before transmitting that clean energy to millions of homes across the U.S.
From frozen tundras to tropical trade winds and tsunami-stricken waters, our specifically-designed turbines can withstand extreme wind conditions that up to 57 m/s (127mph)!
The newly converted electricity is then fed on to the electrical grid and into your homes to power your TVs and charge your phones!
How do we send the power from the sea to homes on land?
The electricity the wind turbine produces is transmitted via underwater cables to an offshore substation, before being transported ashore to an onshore substation where it is transformed.
Experience our V236-15.0 MW™ offshore technology vision in virtual reality
Did you know?
Just one of our V236-15.0 MW turbines produces enough energy to power up to 7,600 US households*
*Calculation is based on name plate capacity divided by energy consumption excluding losses using US EIA 2021 data
Your questions, answered
Yes. There are limited impacts to marine ecosystems or seafood supply from offshore wind. Although offshore wind lease areas encompass hundreds of square kilometers, wind turbine structures take up only a small portion of that area. With turbine spacing and layouts coordinated with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Coast Guard, leasing areas can continue to be used for many of the same purposes for which they were originally used, such as commercial and recreational fishing, recreational boating, and tourism-related trips. BOEM solicits extensive public input when designating offshore wind areas.
Yes. Neither BOEM nor the Coast Guard will prohibit vessels, including commercial fishing vessels, from transiting through (or fishing within) lease areas. As a part of the BOEM permitting process, developers have to submit a navigation safety risk assessment (NSRA) as a part of their construction and operations plan (COP), which is then reviewed by the Coast Guard and BOEM to ensure compatibility with safe navigation.
There is no scientific information connecting offshore wind activities and recent whale strandings.
The offshore wind industry has always been and remains strongly committed to safeguarding the marine environment by taking a number of proactive steps, including establishing and monitoring exclusion zones around vessels, developing the newest mitigation technology, and pausing work during migration seasons.
There are no ties between the recent whale deaths and offshore wind development, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
The Empire Wind 1 project at its closest point is located approximately 14 miles from Jones Beach State Park on Long Island. If you fully extend your arm and look at your thumb, the turbines may be visible under clear weather conditions at less than a quarter the size of your thumbnail.
Ultimately, our turbines are a symbol of economic growth and your community’s commitment to helping future generations thrive – and putting America back in charge of its own energy production.