How Effective Are Ireland's Offshore Wind Farms?
With a large selection of renewable energy solutions in front of us, picking the right one for Ireland’s net-zero commitments is difficult. Since we’re quite a windy nation, Ireland has been investing in both its onshore and offshore wind farms, but how effective have they been? Find out more in our offshore wind farm guide!
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What Is an Offshore Wind Farm?
Offshore wind farms are a way of generating mass renewable energy from harnessing the winds blown over the oceans. Offshore wind farms include putting large wind turbines across vast stretches of ocean so they can maximise the amount of wind they get. Offshore wind farms are different from onshore wind farms simply due to where they are placed. Either way, they are a great way for us to meet our Paris Agreement obligations.
What Are the Advantages of Offshore Wind Farms?
Offshore wind farms have a lot of advantages to them when it comes to generating large amounts of renewable energy and helping us reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s a list of some of their advantages:
- Covering a Large Area
Since offshore wind farms cover vast areas, their generating capacity is very high. This also takes away the need for building so many onshore wind farms which will often be smaller and less efficient for generating wind power. - No Noise Pollution
One of the biggest drawbacks to wind power is that turbines can be noisy and obtrusive on the land. However, offshore wind farms eliminate this problem since they’re not built anywhere near where people live. - Job Creation
Offshore wind farms can also contribute to job creation. With renewable energy solutions also requiring a lot more work. According to the UK’s national grid, an offshore wind farm with a 40 gigawatts capacity will require at least 60,000 new jobs. - Efficient Green Energy
Often, green energy solutions don’t tend to be the most efficient. Even solar panels aren’t that efficient half the time. However, offshore wind farms have the advantage of being so big that they are able to generate energy more efficiently than other green solutions and greatly reduce our carbon footprint as a nation.
What Are the Disadvantages of Offshore Wind Farms?
Like anything, offshore wind farms also have their disadvantages as well as their advantages. Here are some of the drawbacks that offshore wind farms have:
- Environmental Issues
Since offshore wind farms are built in the oceans, they have a negative effect on marine life. This is due mostly to the destruction of habit to build the wind farms, and this can generally be larger due to their size. There is also the same risk to birdlife as onshore wind farms have. These are some of the serious environmental concerns that large wind farms pose. - Damaging Scenery
Offshore wind farms can also damage scenery. Looking out from a cliff or a beach to see wind turbines might be less pleasant than before they had been built. Keeping a coastline aesthetic is a common concern for residents who live near the sea. Wind turbines could be damaging like plastic usage. - Infrastructural Issues
Building offshore wind farms can also present many infrastructural issues. When it comes to making sure the energy generated from the wind turbines enters into our national energy mix, it means connecting up cables underneath the water leading to the mainland. This can also mean considering how best to protect the cables from sabotage. - Needs Scale To Work
To really be efficient, offshore wind farms need to be large. This need can exacerbate the problems pointed out above and can mean they are expensive to both build and maintain.
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What Are the Offshore Wind Farm Projects in Ireland?
There are several offshore wind farm projects ongoing in Ireland. All offshore renewable projects are playing a large part in Ireland’s Climate Change Action Plan, and many of these projects are being auctioned off for development. With its enormous potential in Ireland, offshore wind farms are at the top of that list.
What Stages Are Involved in an Offshore Wind Farm Project?
Usually an offshore wind farm will have four stages when it comes to getting them off paper and operational. This usually means there’s a good deal of time before the go ahead is given to start building them. Here are the main stages for an offshore wind farm:
- Permission
First of all, all offshore wind projects need to seek permission in order to be built. This is often done through auctioning off contracts and awarding them to companies that have the best budgets and proposals. Typically this is done with energy companies, but there are other companies that compete for contracts as well. After the offshore wind project has been granted permission, they can move onto the next stage. - Build Phase
The build phase is anywhere from the beginning of the plant being built to its completion. This is usually the longest part of the process, with most wind farms taking from 4 to 8 years to be completed! - Grid Connection
A connection to the grid can take place during the build phase but once the project has reached the size so that the generation capacity can start exporting electricity to the energy markets. - Operating
After completion of the build phase, the offshore wind farm can then be commissioned and put into full operation. This means the wind farm will start generating electricity for the rest of Ireland and adding to its fuel mix.
How Many Offshore Wind Farm Projects Are There in Ireland?
According to 4COffshore, there are currently 73 offshore wind farms projects that are currently in place. They are all dotted around the Irish coastline, and are in varying stages of development. Here’s a graph of Ireland’s current offshore wind progress so so far:
Source: 4COffshore
Last Updated: 28/04/2023
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How Much Does an Offshore Wind Farm Cost in Ireland?
Offshore wind farms are incredibly expensive to build and are not as easy to put together as a solar panel. Considering the amount of work that goes into just one wind turbine, from the motor to the places to connect it to the electricity grid, it should be no surprise that putting it in the ocean would be even more expensive.
What Is the Average Cost of an Offshore Wind Farm in Ireland?
The average costs of building an offshore wind includes a very hefty price tag. When an offshore wind farm project begins, it’ll usually cost the builders a total of €4 million to construct and maintain, but they can also get much more expensive. For example, the Shelmalier Offshore Wind Farm along the coast of Wexford and Wicklow is being built by DP Energy and Iberdrola for an estimated total of €2 billion!
How Does the Cost of an Offshore Wind Farm Compare?
Building an offshore wind farm is notoriously expensive, but let’s have a look at how it costs compared to other renewable energy solutions:
| Type of Renewables | Estimated Costs per Megawatt |
|---|---|
| Onshore Wind Farms | €1.5 - €2 million |
| Offshore Wind Farms | €2.5 - €4 million |
| Solar Panel Farms (Small Scale) | €65,000 |
| Solar Panel Farms (Large Scale) | €1.1 - €1.4 million |
| Hydroelectric Power (Small Scale) | €3,000 - €5,000 |
| Hydroelectric Power (Large Scale) | €1.5 - €2.5 million |
| Geothermal Energy | €2.5 - €3.5 million |
| Biomass Energy | €2 - €4 million |
| Tidal Energy | €10 - €15 million |
Last updated: 28/04/2023
How Effective Are Offshore Wind Farms in Ireland?
Offshore wind farms are some of the more effective renewable energy solutions to be part of a renewable energy strategy. Since offshore wind farms have large real estate and harness the wind from the seas, they can be very good at generating electricity on a big scale. Also, compared to other renewable solutions such as hydrogen fuel cells, wind farms are well established ideas. However, they do have some disadvantages when it comes to their efficiency.
Are Offshore Wind Farms Better Than Onshore?
Generally speaking, offshore wind farms are more efficient than onshore wind farms. This is due to the higher wind speeds and the more consistent air currents that blow over the oceans than over the land. There’s also a lesser risk for interference while the wind farms operate off the cost. However, according to Wind Energy Ireland, onshore wind farms are going to be essential for Ireland’s wind production as 80% of all of Ireland's energy is generated from wind farms and the majority of those onshore.
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