OFFSHORE-WIND is a website created with the aim of facilitating the referral and consultation of comprehensive information documents Characterization of offshore wind area, according to the provisions of the law 11/2007. This procedure is especially relevant given the economic impact it represents in terms of cost savings. The website significantly reduces costs associated with paperwork processing and speeding up the procedure of consultation and information exchange.

Electricity generation from wind technology transforms the kinetic energy of air currents into electrical energy.

Offshore wind farms have significant advantages over onshore wind farms. The wind at sea is easier to use, being more consistent, with less turbulence and allowing more energy-efficient facilities. In turn offshore wind farms have drawbacks associated mainly to the increased
complexity of installation and maintenance and environmental conditions that are extreme.

Policy Context

The Environmental Strategic Study of the Spanish coast for the installation of offshore wind farms is the result of the procedure provided by Law 9 / 2006 of June 28 on the evaluation of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment, including consultation effected by the government through the third additional provision of the Royal Decree 1028/2007.

In this study, at the strategic and general planning level, we proceed to defining the scope of study areas (24 nautical miles measured from the straight baseline, including well-defined internal waters) which, meet conditions for the installation of offshore wind farms. We have established a suitable zoning system, with areas with suitable environmental conditions and exclusion zones for this area of study, defined as areas "suitable" for those that have not been identified, based on available information at the time of preparation of the study, not probable environmental condition at planning.

Upon receipt of an application for the installation of an offshore wind farm, and prior to the competition for the reserve area under Royal Decree 1028/2007 of 20 July laying down the administrative procedure the processing of applications for approval of power generation facilities in the territorial sea, the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce publishes a document entitled Characterization of offshore wind area.

Description of target users and groups

The end users of this website are the citizens and institutions that could be potentially affected by the environmental impact of the creation of an offshore wind farm. In this sense, there are restrictions on access to the website, but access is free after registration, with or without a digital certificate.

Description of the way to implement the initiative

Access to the website OFFSHORE-WIND is through the Internet. The connection uses https security protocol with user identification: electronic certificates, e-dni or by username and password.

You may register by electronic signature or by username and password. When registering, the user should be linked to a company or an entity. In the latter case you should indicate what type: management, Regional, Local, ONG or association. This way we can classify the documents submitted by the allegiance of those involved. The user, once registered, can access the menu to send all the documentation they deem appropriate, referenced to a particular wind farm.

In the submission form information, registered user can see all the files previously submitted. It is a prerequisite for making the submission to reference to one or multiple wind areas and indicate one or more types of content on the information provided. By doing it this way, the manager of the Ministry will have the ability to sort and view the information sent by sea areas, content or information by type of institution concerned. It will display a paginated list of all selected documents and the ability to view the content of each document. Also, there is the facility to view all areas and content that reference each document by clicking on the appropriate link.

Technology solution

The website was developed using NET (Web), Javascript and relational databases SQL Server 2005. Through the virtual office of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, located on the Internet, you can connect companies and institutions involved and start sending information. Internally, the Ministry maintains the submissions and all necessary information in a database associated with the website in a Microsoft SQLServer 2005. The system is integrated with the Electronic Register of the Ministry, may also display the citizen through the general consultation of the content of the information recorded as inputs. To read the issue of certificates and query the validity of it provides a more tailored service. The mail server is used for users who have forgotten their password; they can use the email address provided when they registered.

Technology choice: Proprietary technology

Main results, benefits and impacts

Spain is prominent on the international stage for its use of onshore wind energy. In addition to being renewable energy, Spain ranks second in installed capacity. It is estimated that areas could be created that would generate 25 000 MW of offshore wind power by 2030, which would avoid the annual emission of 25 million tonnes of CO2. In Spain there are several marine sites which are well suited for this purpose, such as the Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Creus, the Ebro Delta and areas along the Galician coast. There is one project, valued at €1 650 million, which is to install wind turbines about 18 miles off Cape Trafalgar, between Barbate and Conil in Cádiz, with a capacity of 1 000 MW.

The website enables all those involved in the development of a project of this type to make their comments on any of the following aspects:

• Fishing activity.
• Flora and fauna, birds, and seafloor geomorphology.
• Sea and air.
• Tourism, heritage and landscape.
• Beaches, coastline and coastal Exploitation of mineral resources.
• Defence and security.
• Underwater cables and pipelines.
• Any other issue deemed of interest.

To grant licenses and concessions for the use of the maritime-terrestrial public domain, it is deemed necessary and appropriate to limit the scope of the impact that offshore wind farms, and wind turbines in particular, pose for the environment. The website covers the submission and collection for each area of offshore wind reports from the institutions interested in the impact that the installation of an offshore wind farm might have on the surrounding environment.

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Lessons learnt

With the rise of modern technologies it is becoming more important to create channels of communication between public administration and citizens and institutions. In this sense it is particularly important to provide secure channels of information so that, for issues with high environmental impact, citizens and institutions can express their arguments. Offshore wind energy has a great future in Spain, since this is a country with thousands of miles of coast. Communications technologies can pave the for this future since wind-marine applications provide the sensitivity needed to facilitate this process.

Scope: National