Global heating could raise potential for offshore wind power, study says

A warmer world could bring more potential for offshore wind energy, according to a new study. Although it doesn’t bear thinking about, with heating of 4C potential offshore wind energy could increase by an average of 9% globally by the end of this century.

Previous research has indicated that global heating will reduce the potential for wind power generation, but there is much uncertainty in how wind patterns will shift, and in particular how surface wind speeds will change over time.

In the new research Cheng Shen, from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues used the latest climate model to assess offshore wind speed under different climate scenarios, and corrected for previous underestimates in surface wind speeds.

The findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, show that the global average potential for offshore wind power generation could increase by anything between 4% and 18%, depending on the emissions scenario, with localised increases as high as 26% over European waters by 2100.

More research is needed to understand the impact of extreme wind events and to map the changes in wind energy at a higher resolution. Such findings will help us better plan where offshore windfarms should be situated, and taking advantage of additional offshore wind capacity sooner rather than later could help us to decarbonise faster.