Are there challenges to putting wind farms in water?

Question

What should be taken into consideration when developing a wind farm in a body of water (versus on land)? Are there any challenges that won't crop up with land-based turbines?

Answer 1

I presume that you are thinking of putting the wind farms in the sea and not fresh water like lakes etc? I don't think that it is really complicated and that the only big issues would be the foundations, obviously it would not be practical to build them in the middle of the pacific where it is a couple of kilometers deep, and also corrosion due to the salt.

Answer 2

Yes, it will hurt the dolphins ears, and whales will have a hard time trying to beach themselves, and baby plankton will get killed in the turbines.

Answer 3

Sounds better than raping the ocean for fish, wind farm it.  Any challenge is technical and easy to over come.

Answer 4

Corrosion and storm damage come to mind...

Answer 5

well curtis lets not forget the absence of wind in water

Answer 6

Holland Venice and several other countries are doing it right now with minimal effort. The reutilization of old oil derrick is the Gulf of Mexico has started as well as in Japan.

  Most of these farms are in tidal ocean areas. And yes they have the same problems as land based ones as well as salt water corrosion problems.

Answer 7

The main challenge is in connecting the offshore wind farms to the on-shore power plants via power lines.  Another challenge would be the maintenance of the turbines.