To take advantage of its natural resources and foster a thriving offshore wind industry, Australia needs to overcome a range of challenges.
Offshore wind is an established industry in many countries around the globe, providing clean and reliable energy as the world continues to decarbonise.
Though Australia is yet to fully tap into this resource, the Federal Government is taking steps to build the industry, naming six designated offshore wind areas around the country.
In July 2024, the Australian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy (ACOWE) was launched to address the challenges standing in the way of the sector.
It aims to deliver evidence-based solutions and a new, skilled workforce to enable sustainable offshore wind development in Australia through a nationally coordinated, interdisciplinary research and training partnership.
Collaborative approach
ACOWE was launched with six founding universities – the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, Federation University, the University of Newcastle, the University of Western Australia and the University of Wollongong, all strategically located within Australia’s declared or proposed offshore wind zones.

ACOWE Director, Shiaohuey Chow, said that the principal force behind the establishment of ACOWE is the recognition that no singular organisation can deliver the research, teaching and training needed in the establishment of an offshore wind energy sector in Australia.
“Many of us involved in the centre have been engaged in offshore engineering and marine research for a number of years,” Dr Chow said.
Key challenges
Australia has been generating onshore wind power since 1987, and there are some important lessons that the offshore wind industry can draw from this long history.
Australia can learn from onshore wind proponents, given their long experience in community engagement as well as the similar research needs to monitor the impact to onshore flora and fauna.
Ultimately, however, Dr Chow said that the environments in which the structures are built, operate and will be decommissioned differ.
“Seabed, metocean and marine life – and the need to build these massive structures in ocean environments that may have cultural heritage significance – are added complexities facing offshore wind energy.”
The unique challenges Australia’s offshore wind industry must overcome are many and varied, and it’s hard to identify just one challenge that is standing in the way of the industry’s development and success.
“Our social scientists would tell you that there is still considerable work to be done to ensure the development of offshore wind occurs in an equitable, inclusive and socially and culturally responsible manner,” Dr Chow said.
“The marine environment and biodiversity researchers recognise the sheer scale of work still to be done given the size of the declared offshore wind zones with offshore and onshore environments to be studied, and our metocean and geotechnical engineers are keen to provide practical solutions tackling the unique metocean and challenging seabed sediments for each zone.”
Some of the biggest challenges – supply chain and ports – are yet to be fully explored by ACOWE.
“The need for the infrastructure and equipment to install wind turbines is in high demand globally, and Australia is a latecomer to this renewable energy source,” Dr Chow said.
“We must also remember that we need to build a workforce to meet the many demands across the multiple phases of an offshore wind farm.”
Australian wind resources
Australia has some of the best natural wind resources in the world, and a team of experts – led by Professor Alexander Babanin from the University of Melbourne – has been studying offshore wind resources in Gippsland in regional Victoria.
The team said that the southern and western seas of Australia, particularly those near the westerly wind belt, possess richer wind energy resources compared to other regions, with an average annual wind energy density of approximately 500W per square metre (W/m²).
The wind energy potential along Australia’s southeast coast, including offshore Victoria, has been an ideal location for wind energy development because of its stable wind energy density.
Professor Babanin and his team explained that in recent years, China has been actively developing its offshore wind energy resources, which have an average annual wind energy density of about 300 W/m².
Compared to China, the southern offshore regions of Australia have more abundant wind energy resources, with an average annual wind energy density approximately 200 W/m² higher than China’s 300 W/m².
“I believe we are well positioned to support the offshore wind industry,” Dr Chow said.
“However, given the unprecedented scale of offshore wind development in Australia, close collaboration and coordination among the various stakeholders will be crucial to support and advance this burgeoning sector.”
Offshore wind workforce
To support the growing industry and lead Australia on the path to net zero, a skilled workforce will be essential, and establishing this workforce will require a range of strategies.
In 2023, Dr Chow developed an elective – CVEN90071 Offshore Wind Geotechnical Engineering – for engineering Masters students, in which industry and government are regularly invited to participate through a series of guest lecturers.
Dr Chow said that it is equally important to engage with the future workforce through outreach activities.
“For instance, I have championed the establishment of a student team, Victoria Offshore Wind, at the University of Melbourne to raise awareness about the new sector in Australia.
“The student team has engaged with school children and their families by conducting beach demonstrations of offshore wind structure installation in Melbourne, in partnership with offshorewind4kids, an international non-profit organisation.”
As suggested by an industry partner, ACOWE is also investigating the development of an offshore wind 101 short course that could be delivered across Australia.
“The aim is to provide an overview for those entering the industry, for example an engineer coming from the mining sector, or a finance specialist wanting to join the offshore energy wind sector,” Dr Chow said.
The course is not designed to replace upskilling, and the Centre would need to look into offering micro credentials in specialised areas such as geotechnical engineering, however, Dr Chow said that it would provide an informative overview for those considering joining the sector.
Additionally, each of the ACOWE universities work with their local TAFE, and Federation University through its Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC), offers training to support the wind energy sector meet demand for localised skilled workers.
Dr Chow said that multiple discussions have also been held with the Victorian Government.
“We are focused on teaching and training the engineers, marine and social scientists, and the electricians and marine operations – to name just a few of the many skills required to build an offshore wind energy farm,” Dr Chow said.
Community concerns
When it comes to addressing community concerns with new offshore wind developments, Dr Chow emphasised that community and cultural heritage is one of ACOWE’s key research priorities.
It was the first research priority to have a workshop to discuss what ACOWE saw as the most pressing concerns to be responded to and begin the co-design of a research program.
Dr Chow said that the researchers involved are working in their communities and are well placed to understand their community’s concerns and help address issues. The researchers recently submitted their responses and recommendations to the Senate Inquiry on Offshore wind industry consultation process.
ACOWE social scientists will also work with the marine researchers to study impact on marine and pathway to sustainable offshore wind developments – using information from overseas – as well as conducting studies in Australian waters.
“Our aim is to provide best practice and ensure environment remains front of mind in all offshore wind developments,” Dr Chow said.
Research plans
Each institution associated with ACOWE has been engaging with industry and government on a one-to-one level, with a number of universities undertaking research, or signing MOUs with developers to explore research opportunities, as well as submitting proposals to government.
“The purpose of ACOWE is not to restrict participating universities from individually participating in offshore wind research, rather it acknowledges that no one institution can deliver the research, teaching and training required for what is a 40+ year proposition for Australia across the whole development lifecycle of offshore wind farms,” Dr Chow said.
In terms of future research, ACOWE is seeking funding to undertake whole of sector research in fields such as community perception and the marine environment before, during and after construction of offshore wind turbines. ACOWE is working towards identifying funding streams to complete these large scale and long-term projects.
“Taking the cue from the Crown Estate in the UK and the marine exchange database, we envisage building a central depository of data from each offshore wind zone to aid industry and future research,” Dr Chow said.
Looking to the future
Dr Chow said that ACOWE is looking forward to seeing the first offshore wind turbine installed and the establishment of a financially viable sector. However, ACOWE is equally interested in ensuring that offshore wind development in Australia is pursued in an equitable, inclusive, socially and culturally responsible manner.
“We envision a thriving and sustainable offshore wind sector which contributes to the decarbonisation of Australia more broadly.”