This page has information about offshore wind energy development (both ocean and Great Lakes, with some specifics about North Carolina [see at the end]). If you have questions about any of this, or have other material that should be included, or find any errors here, or would like to get our free twice-a-month Newsletter (which has many articles on wind energy), please email John Droz.
Our position is that alternative energy sources should be encouraged — but none should be permitted on the public grid until a scientific assessment proves that they are a NET societal benefit. No such scientific assessment exists for wind energy (onshore or offshore)! In fact the evidence from studies done by independent experts conclude that wind energy is a net economics and environmental loser. See below (and carefully read the Key Documents page on this website) for more details.
Recommended Basic Plan of Action:
1-Get thoroughly educated. Carefully study all of the material below. The more educated you are, the better your chances of success are against an experienced opponent.
2-Stand on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before. Meet with those who have had success with this fight (e.g. in the US: Audra Parker). Learn what worked and what did not. (Compare this result to the earlier dismissal of her chances…)
3-Join forces. There is strength in numbers, so working together with others who have overlapping interests is wise.
4-Broaden your scope. There are numerous liabilities with offshore wind, so restricting your fight to just some of them is akin to fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
5-Be clever. Using sophisticated PR techniques (e.g. to develop citizen support) will greatly increase chances of success.
6-Be persistent. This is a political and legal fight, so it’s essential to being committed to representing your rights.
Offshore Wind: Getting the Big Picture —
Report: Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (This report references 60± studies. The conclusion is that wind energy typically provides no consequential reduction of CO2, so is of no material benefit regarding solving climate change.)
Two worthwhile offshore wind videos are here and here.
My Offshore Energy Position Paper is about offshore fossil fuels and offshore wind energy.
Aerospace Engineer: The Problems with Offshore Wind are Not Worth It
Investigative Report: A Mighty Wind
Documentary film about offshore wind issues: Deepwater Dilemma
Report regarding some major legal and technical offshore wind energy issues.
Short video: One offshore Gas facility = 7700± offshore wind turbines!
You Can’t Have Offshore Wind Power Without Oil
Study: Potential Climatic Impacts and Reliability of Large-scale Offshore Wind
Some Offshore Wind Economic Realities —
Study: offshore turbines closer than 25 miles to shore will substantially reduce coastal tourism [To address this reality, note that this Maryland bill requires offshore turbines to be at least 26 miles out.]
Report: The Dismal Economics of Offshore Wind
The Real Cost of Offshore Wind (Offshore wind is ~31x the cost of nuclear!)
Offshore Wind: The Enormously Expensive Energy Alternative
Brookings Report: Economically, Wind and Solar Are Our Worst Options
Editorial: VA Offshore Wind Project Throws Caution to the Wind
Dominion: Offshore Wind Too Expensive
Pretenses of Offshore Wind Economic Viability “Blown Away”
The cost of offshore wind power: worse than we thought
Study: It takes seven wind workers to produce the same electricity as one fossil fuel worker does
Study: Offshore wind costs at least twice as much as nuclear
Denmark Getting Ready to Scrap Offshore Wind Energy
Why relying on offshore wind will prove to be a costly error
Offshore Wind Surge Threatens Merchant Generator Profits
Green Insanity: Offshore Wind Project Cost Mind-Boggling $10K Per KW
Eastern States Promote Expensive and High Risk Offshore Wind Systems
Will Offshore Wind Energy Deliver?
Taxpayers Are Being Ripped Off By New ‘Green Energy’ Offshore Wind Project
The Problem with Offshore Wind Energy: Cost
A few dozen reports about the inaccuracy of wind energy job claims by lobbyists
Sample Reports about the New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Experiences…
A 2008 New Jersey Study concludes that offshore wind is a net economics and jobs loser
A 2011 NJ Study (2nd consultant) concludes that offshore wind is a net financial detriment
A 2012 NJ Study (3rd consultant) concludes that offshore wind is a net economics and jobs loser
A 2012 NJ Study (4th consultant) concludes that offshore wind is an economic liability
2015: Offshore NJ wind project shot down again
2018: NJ Board of Public Utilities Rejects Offshore Wind Application
2022: NY Agency Study Concludes that Great Lakes Wind makes No Sense
Sample Reports about the Massachusetts Experience (Cape Wind Project)…
Does Cape Wind Make Sense? (my slide presentation)
Wind Energy Dead in the Water off Cape Cod
For more about wind energy financials, see our economics page.
Whales and Offshore Wind — 
NOAA Lead Biologist’s Damning Document on Offshore Wind and Right Whales
Offshore Wind Turbines Blamed After Three Whales Die Off Suffolk
Environmentalists link whale beachings to offshore wind turbine sonar
Ten whale groups slam Atlantic Offshore Wind
Whales are Better than Wind Turbines
Evidence says offshore wind development is killing lots of whales
Why Environmentalists May Make This Whale Species Extinct
Threat to Endangered Whales Gets LOUDER
Right Whales Endangered by Wrong Energy Policies!
Study: Impacts of Noise from Offshore Wind Project Construction and Installation on Large Whales
Study: Noise pollution spooks whales the way predators would
Study: Effects of Offshore Wind Projects on Marine Mammals and Fish (including whales)
Study: Effects of Offshore Wind Turbine Noise on Marine Mammals and Fish (including whales)
Some Fishing Industry Concerns with Offshore Wind — 
Report: Wind Turbines and Offshore Energy Development
Report: NOAA and BOEM; Ignorance is Bliss
Report: Wind Turbine Generator Impacts on Marine Vessel Radar
Study: Warns of risks to navigation from offshore wind projects
Study: The Effects of Human-generated Sound on Fish
Study: Information gaps in understanding the effects of noise on fishes and invertebrates
Study: Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) on Fish and Invertebrates
Study: Evaluation of Potential EMF Effects on Fish Species of Commercial or Recreational Fishing
Study: The Interaction Between Resource Species and EMFs Associated with Offshore Wind Turbines
Study: Noise from Wind Turbine Pile Driving Disrupts the Structure and Dynamics of Fish Shoals
Study: Offshore Wind Projects – Ecological Effects of Noise and Habitat Alteration on Fish
Study: Zebrafish Behavioral Changes in Response to Sound Exposure
Study: Effects of Underwater Noise on Auditory Sensitivity of a Cyprinid Fish
Study: Recommended regional scale studies related to fisheries in New England offshore Wind Energy Areas
Fisheries science needs to catch up with offshore wind power
Offshore wind rush is irresponsible
Fishermen’s Doubts Persist on Offshore Wind Project
US fishermen fear forests of offshore wind turbines
Fishermen Fear Damage From Wind Projects Along The Eastern Seaboard
Fishermen Give Cold Shoulder to Offshore Wind Developer
US Fishermen feel a chill from wind turbines
How fishermen could thwart Cuomo’s offshore wind master plan
Fishermen worry that offshore turbines will damage their business
Ratepayers bankrolling offshore wind project opposed by LI fishing community
Responsible Offshore Development Association
Some Other Offshore Wind Environmental Realities —
Study: Impacts of offshore wind farm construction on Harbour Porpoise
Study: Offshore wind projects are projected to impact primary production and bottom water deoxygenation
Study: Anthropogenic Mixing in Seasonally Stratified Shelf Seas by Offshore Wind Farm Infrastructure
Study: Offshore Turbines Puts Rare Shorebirds at Risk
Study: Diving Seabird Populations Decline 94 Percent Near Offshore Wind Turbines
Study: Birds and offshore wind turbines: a hot topic in marine ecology
Study: Bird migration studies and potential collision risk with offshore wind turbines
Study: Ecological Research on Offshore Wind: International Exchange of Experiences
Study: Assessing Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms – Lessons Learned and Recommendations for the Future
Study: A Critical Evaluation of Offshore Wind Turbine Cumulative Impact Assessments
Study: Offshore renewable energy: ecological implications of generating electricity in the coastal zone
Study: Environmental and Ecological effects of Ocean Renewable Energy Development – A Current Synthesis
Study: Emissions from corrosion protection systems of offshore wind turbines: Evaluation of the potential impact on the marine environment
Studies: Dozens of additional studies about the ecosystem impacts of offshore wind turbines
Federal Agency Failing to Protect the Environment from Offshore Wind
Seabird Populations Plummet As Offshore Wind Projects Proliferate
Study tracking where bird migration paths could cross offshore wind zone
Offshore US East Coast Wind Development Threatens Endangered Bird
Offshore wind turbine construction could be putting seals’ hearing at risk
For more about wind energy eco-system impacts, see our environmental page.
Some Offshore Wind Military Concerns —
Report: Industrial Wind Energy Interference with the Military: an Overview
Pentagon Sounds Alarm Over Biden Plan for Offshore Wind Sites
South Carolina offshore turbines possible training threat to the military
Navy may torpedo offshore California wind project
US Navy Objects to Offshore Wind Turbines
US Navy Study: Wind Turbines Could Undermine Military Readiness
The Purpose of the Military is to Defend the Homeland, Not to Promote Wind Energy
Big Wind: Threat to Air Navigation, Military Assets
Sweden Denies Permit for $7.4B Offshore Wind Facility as it would Interfere with its Military
Some sample reports on wind energy radar interference. Note: These radar issues apply to fishing boats!
The message: it’s up to states to defend the military!
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Quickie Overview Regarding North Carolina (readers from other states can skip over this):
The federal government, BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) has been aggressively promoting offshore wind development for the US coastline, including NC. This will consist of industrial turbines over 600± foot tall — which would be the tallest turbines in the US. [Note 1: How huge is 600 feet? Note 2: GE recently unveiled an 1200 foot turbine aimed at the offshore market.]
There have been multiple proposals for offshore wind development off the NC Coast. After some “reviews” BOEM “reduced” these to two large areas: near Wilmington, and near Kill Devil Hills. See this BOEM NC offshore wind history for more details.
A NC law (H484) was passed in 2013, which sets up the first statewide wind energy permitting process. The NCDEQ (formerly DENR) is the lead agency. As explained on our NC Wind Energy Information page, H484 is a very weak law, that provides only minimal protections — and will likely not apply to offshore wind projects located in federal waters. Partly due to that, the NCDEQ Secretary sent BOEM a 2015 letter spelling out the state’s official (and very reasonable) position on offshore wind energy: that turbines should be 24+ nautical miles from the shore. To their credit, the Village of Bald Head Island (BHI) passed a formal resolution in 2015, advocating the same protection. The BHI Homeowners Association also passed a resolution opposing offshore wind.
Make sure to also check out our page of some NC laws, proposed legislation, pertinent agencies, etc. as many of these directly apply to offshore wind energy. To keep current with what’s going on with this matter, please periodically check back here for updates.
BTW, a few years ago, two NC law scholars wrote a report on what NC (and other states) should do to be better prepared for offshore wind energy — and much of this has yet to be done. See “Wind over NC Waters — the State’s Preparedness to Address Offshore Wind Energy Projects.” There are some good general points about protecting our eco-systems, economic interests, etc.