If you’ve ever stood on a Victorian beach and felt the wind from the Southern Ocean, you’ll know this is not a gentle force. Whipped up across thousands of kilometres of cold ocean, these winds are relentless and powerful.

More than that – they’re one of Australia’s most valuable untapped sources of energy. Australia has many windfarms, but all of them have been built on land.

The stronger, more reliable winds blowing over oceans now turn truly enormous turbines in nations from Denmark to China. Offshore wind would work particularly well in Victoria. The state government wants large windfarms built out at sea to replace the remaining coal plants.

But will these strong winds keep blowing as reliably under climate change? Our recent research is reassuring. Despite small drops in wind strength, the winds will remain strong and reliable over the next 30-50 years.

What’s so good about offshore wind?

Offshore wind farms produce power more reliably than onshore wind or solar. They can produce a great deal of power and require minimal land. This is why offshore wind has been seen as a good fit for Australia.

Coupled with big batteries and transmission lines,........

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