Offshore wind could meet all UK’s electricity demand
UK government backs offshore wind through location planning and financial support
The UK government has been set a target by the European Union for 15% of the country’s energy to be supplied by renewable sources in 2020. Offshore wind parks are expected to play a major role in achieving this.
By the end of 2009 over 1,040 MW of offshore wind farms are scheduled to be operating, almost doubling capacity in just 12 months. Another eight projects, totaling over 3,000 MW of generating capacity, have been given approval and are in the pre-construction stage.
By 2020, according to UK government projections, offshore wind power could be contributing up to 33 Gigawatts of installed generating capacity, enough to supply all the UK’s domestic electricity needs.
Large scale wind parks are being constructed in UK waters with the support of the Crown Estate, the national agency which owns the coastal seabed. Agreed areas of the sea are leased to wind power companies, which can then benefit from government support once the turbines are up and running.
This support comes in the form of Renewable Obligation Certificates which are issued for every unit of electricity generated from renewable sources. These ROCs can then be set against a company’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions - or traded on the carbon market.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change provided additional encouragement to the sector in March 2009 by announcing that extra financial support would be given to wind farms operating in the sea. Part of the aim was to combat the potentially damaging effect on green energy investments of the global credit crunch.
The UK government is also encouraging companies to invest in providing the underwater power transmission lines needed to transfer the large amounts of electricity generated back to land.
The UK government has been set a target by the European Union for 15% of the country’s energy to be supplied by renewable sources in 2020. Offshore wind parks are expected to play a major role in achieving this.
By the end of 2009 over 1,040 MW of offshore wind farms are scheduled to be operating, almost doubling capacity in just 12 months. Another eight projects, totaling over 3,000 MW of generating capacity, have been given approval and are in the pre-construction stage.
By 2020, according to UK government projections, offshore wind power could be contributing up to 33 Gigawatts of installed generating capacity, enough to supply all the UK’s domestic electricity needs.
Large scale wind parks are being constructed in UK waters with the support of the Crown Estate, the national agency which owns the coastal seabed. Agreed areas of the sea are leased to wind power companies, which can then benefit from government support once the turbines are up and running.
This support comes in the form of Renewable Obligation Certificates which are issued for every unit of electricity generated from renewable sources. These ROCs can then be set against a company’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions - or traded on the carbon market.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change provided additional encouragement to the sector in March 2009 by announcing that extra financial support would be given to wind farms operating in the sea. Part of the aim was to combat the potentially damaging effect on green energy investments of the global credit crunch.
The UK government is also encouraging companies to invest in providing the underwater power transmission lines needed to transfer the large amounts of electricity generated back to land.
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Did you know?
The
UK is currently the leading country for offshore wind energy development in
Northern Europe
Current offshore wind energy capacity: 598 MW (March 2009)
National target: 33 GW by 2020
Global Wind Energy Council, Rue d'Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 400 1029, Fax: +32 2 546 1944, Email: info@gwec.net