Wind Farms Face ‘Wind Theft’ as Expansion Raises Concerns

Offshore wind farms expanding to achieve net-zero targets have led to increased awareness about the phenomenon known as “wind theft.” The energy extraction process of wind farms through turbines causes air slowness which generates a “wake effect” that extends more than 100km for large wind farms and decreases downwind farm output by 10% or more according to Peter Baas of Whiffle. Wind theft is a term that does not apply because wind remains an unownable natural resource according to lawyer Eirik Finserås. The fast-growing number of dense offshore wind farms has caused an increase in disputes between developers and wind energy-dependent countries. The length of wakes reaches into the tens of kilometers while producing major energy production effects under specific circumstances. The rapid growth of offshore wind faces scalability issues because of this development.