Analyzing the impact of wind turbines on marine life and local climate 

This fifth article in our seven-part series examines the impact of wind turbines on the ocean environment, focusing on marine mammals, air and water temperatures, and the visual landscape of our shores. Following this, article 5.5 will address safety and security risks, including potential impacts on aviation and homeland security.

There are five basic risk categories for offshore wind turbines: Environmental, Operational, Economic, Social, and Safety. Even in the early stages, New Jersey and the U.S. have encountered significant issues. Last week, Operational, Environmental, and Social Risks were highlighted when federal safety officials indefinitely shut down the Vineyard Wind project in Nantucket, MA, after a turbine blade broke apart during testing and washed ashore at six beaches. “There were no injuries reported, but operations are shut down until further notice,” a spokesperson for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said. Nantucket’s south shore beaches were closed due to fiberglass fragments in the water. In comparison, the project off Long Beach Island, NJ, will have nearly 200 turbines, posing considerable risk with 600 blades exposed to the shore and residents.

The Vineyard Wind project, the largest active in the U.S. to date, has faced significant challenges, mirroring global trends. According to MIT Technology Review, “In recent months, projects around the world have been delayed or canceled as costs have skyrocketed, and supply chain disruptions have swelled.” Operational risks for Vineyard Wind stems from the U.S. supply chain’s infancy, including a shortage of specialized installation vessels, forcing reliance on European vessels and causing logistical issues, delays, and higher costs. Financial difficulties led to re-negotiations with the state, driven by fluctuating energy prices and rising material and labor costs. Power Purchase Agreements with Massachusetts utility companies were renegotiated, with rates increasing from $74/MWh to $89/MWh, a 20% rise, and from $65/MWh to $89/MWh, a 38% increase. Click here for earlier Wind Energy Economic Risk analysis.

From an environmental perspective, the Marine Ecosystem impact from the installation and operation of offshore wind turbines can disrupt marine habitats and wildlife. That was confirmed in a letter dated May 13, 2022 from US Government entity National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). a division of the US Department of Interior. Noise from construction, operation, and ongoing work can affect marine mammals and fish populations. In researching offshore wind turbines for this story, wind turbine impact has been a debated topic between those for and against offshore wind energy.

However, Apostolos Gerasoulis, a Rutgers professor emeritus of computer science and co-creator of the search engine that powers Ask.com, has added a significant voice to this debate, asserting that offshore wind activities are indeed harmful to whales. Gerasoulis began researching whale deaths in early 2023 and subsequently developed a software system to analyze the relationship between these deaths and the activities of offshore wind survey vessels.

The first question asked is: Why have whales and other sea creatures been dying and washing up on shore over the past few years at what seems like an alarming rate, yet not one turbine has been planted in the ocean off the coast of NJ?

Actually, those opposing offshore wind can agree with NOAA declaring “unusual mortality events” for hump back whales in 2016, minke and North American right whales in 2017. Yet NOAA asserts that there are “no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities.” To understand that question, offshore wind survey vessels have been in place since 2016, and they use loud blasts of sonar to map the seabed for the installation of wind turbines and high-voltage cables.

The second question being asked by many is: Is there a correlation between sonar testing being done by these wind vessels and mammals dying, both those washing up on the East Coast shores and those dying on the seafloor? A study by acoustical consultant Robert Rand found that sonar noise from survey vessels off the New Jersey coast reached levels that could cause temporary or permanent hearing loss in whales. This could disorient whales, making them more susceptible to ship strikes and other dangers.

The actual number of dead whales is much higher than reported, as only about 1 out of every 10 dead whales wash up on shore; the rest sink to the seafloor. Gerasoulis conducted a statistical analysis using proprietary software to compare whale deaths before and after the start of offshore wind surveying. In speaking with Gerasoulis, he said he divided the area into four zones: 1) north of Cape Cod, 2) Rhode Island and Massachusetts, 3) New York and New Jersey, and 4) Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. His findings show a significant increase in whale deaths post-2016, the year when offshore wind surveying began. In high survey traffic regions, humpback whale deaths doubled compared to areas with minimal survey activity. “Absolutely, 100 percent, offshore wind kills whales,” Gerasoulis states. The data supports this claim. In the NY/NJ zone, the largest of the four, average annual whale deaths increased from 2 to 10, a 1000% rise since sonar testing began. Similar trends are seen in the DE/MD/VA and RI/MA areas, with a smaller 150% increase due to the region’s size and less testing. The untested zone north of Cape Cod showed no change in whale deaths. This provides statistical evidence linking whale deaths to sonar testing for offshore wind. We’ve reached out to NOAA for comments and will update the story if they respond.

The third question to ask about wind turbines, most now being planned at 1,000 feet high or taller, is: Are these massive “fans” and the energy running through them possibly changing the atmospheric air flow, and possibly affecting temperature? A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience highlighted that wind farms can create a significant wake effect that alters local wind patterns, potentially influencing the performance of nearby wind turbines and affecting local weather conditions. Another study by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in 2017 confirmed wind turbines create wind shadows and increased turbulence. Further research in the North Sea by the Technical University of Denmark identified altered local atmospheric conditions.

Air temperature can be affected as well. A study published in the journal “Nature Communications” in 2018 reported that data from European offshore wind farms can enhance what is known as vertical mixing of the atmosphere, resulting in warmer air being brought from higher altitudes down to the surface, particularly at night, leading to localized warming. Conversely, it could also see a cooling effect during the day. Further, research conducted at the University of Delaware in 2015 found that offshore wind turbines can lead to changes in air temperature in coastal areas, or what are known as micro-climates.

Water temperature can be affected as well from turbines alone. A study published in Renewable Energy in 2020 examined the impact of offshore turbines on sea temperatures in the Baltic Sea. They found that wind turbines increased the vertical mixing of seawater, which altered sea surface temperatures by bringing cooler water up from the depths. Another study by the European Marine Energy Centre in 2019 identified localized changes in sea surface temperature around offshore wind farms. The study indicated that these changes could affect marine ecosystems in terms of species distribution and behavior.

The fourth risk hits the social aspect of offshore wind farms. The Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm off the coast of Long Beach Island is scoped to be 9 miles from the LBI coastline. The groups such as Save LBI have transposed the turbines across a similar distance. If someone wants to get an actual view of what 9 miles out in the water is, try any shore town 9 miles north or south of Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resorts, which is the tallest building in Atlantic City at 718 feet. The planned LBI Wind Turbines are close to 30% higher at over 1,000 feet. The view is clear. If you’re a town where the transmission lines will run through your neighborhood, your schools, your trails, most are extremely concerned about what that means to their family’s health, the property values, and what impact it has on tourism for the community, i.e. the economic impact. When the NJ Board of Public Utilities were asked by the Manasquan governing body if this amount of energy (the power of 8 nuclear power plants) running a pipe through neighborhoods was ever tested, the answer was “No, but you will be fine.”

Despite private and public research on offshore wind put out over the past 6-8 years on offshore wind turbines’ impacts—such as mammal effects, air and water temperature changes, and power transmission through neighborhoods—New Jersey’s state government lacks answers. Last week, Governor Murphy, through the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, NJBPU, and Sea Grant Consortium, launched a $4.75 million Request for Proposal (RFP) initiative to fund seven research topics focused on ecologically responsible offshore wind development. RFP’s are due by 8/31.

Logic suggests that all necessary research by the Federal and NJ State governing bodies should have been completed, validated by experts, and made public well before initiating offshore wind projects, signing contracts, and offering builders up to $1 billion in NJ taxpayer incentives. However, this has not been the case. Click HERE to read the earlier transparency story. At this stage, some would ask: is this recent RFP just a PR game to address a growing push-back on offshore wind or why wasn’t research done well before soliciting bids? A Stockton University Sept 2023 polling of NJ residents highlighted “support of NJ for building wind turbines off the NJ coast has plummeted over the past 4 years.” With all the citizens’ groups that have come out over the last 12 months to oppose offshore wind, if polled today, it would seem the word “plummeted” could be an understatement.