New Study Suggests that Offshore Wind Farms Could Protect Cities from Hurricanes

A new study released by a Stanford professor suggests that giant offshore wind farms, in addition to providing electricity, could also help protect cities from hurricanes, reported Climate Central.  In early December, civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson and his research team reported that the offshore wind farms would lessen the force of approaching hurricanes.

The team ran computer simulations imagining that a massive wall of tens of thousands of wind turbines had been constructed before hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and analyzed the impact of both storms with and without offshore turbines. 

Jacobson found that the wind turbines could have depleted Katrina of enough energy to reduce wind speeds by 50 percent, and the storm surge could have been reduced by about 72 percent.  Jacobson’s Katrina simulations assumed arrays of 70,000 turbines had been built 100 kilometers off the coast of New Orleans.  A similar array of wind turbines off the coast of New York and New Jersey would have reduced Hurricane Sandy’s wind speeds by 65 mph, with a storm surge reduction of about 21 percent.

Jacobson did not discuss the political issues associated with building such massive offshore wind farms along hurricane-prone coastlines.  In the past, proposals for smaller offshore wind farms have created opposition and controversy, especially along Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  However, Jacobson did say that the turbine array would likely reduce local shoreline wind speeds at most times, but would not affect global weather patterns overall, even if the offshore wind turbines were constructed on a global scale.   

In 2012, Jacobson released a study demonstrating that offshore wind power can generate enough power to provide a third of U.S. energy needs.

The Chanler Group is actively engaged in the review and analysis of incentive-based renewable energy programs to determine potential benefits to our clients.  Global energy consumption continues to increase each year and, with this increase, the demand for safe, clean, and unlimited energy is on the rise.  The Federal and State governments promote this interest through a variety of financially-beneficial incentives.  Our understanding of these laws allows us to guide homeowners, businesses, and/or developers through the various ways to take advantage of these incentive-based benefits.  With the appreciation that renewable energy laws and regulations are constantly changing, The Chanler Group is committed to investing in its understanding and practice of this area of law.