42. Offshore Windfarms

The Earth is endowed with a bounty of natural energy sources. So far, fossil fuels have simply proven the simplest to exploit on a large scale. But we have reached a point where the governments of most developed countries have recognised the perils of fossil fuel reliance—for both energy security and environmental reasons—and responded by (to varying extents) consciously diversifying national energy portfolios. Globally, wind generation is a small but growing source of electricity, and offshore wind is making great strides. This chapter considers offshore wind energy specifically, the management and regulatory challenges it poses, and emerging best practice in this relatively new area. It concludes that strategic marine spatial planning, an ecosystem approach to environmental impact assessment, and the precautionary approach are becoming three vital tools in striking an appropriate balance between the need to deploy offshore wind generation on the one hand, and the need to safeguard the marine environment on the other.