Off-shore wind could power every home in the UK by 2020, says government

Another 5,000-7,000 wind turbines could generate enough electricity by next decade, concludes energy department study

Juliette Jowit, guardian.co.uk 26 Jan 09;

Off-shore wind power could generate enough electricity to supply every home in the UK by the end of the next decade, the government announced yesterday.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change study concluded that another 5,000-7,000 wind turbines could be built off the coast by 2020, generating 25 GW of energy, equivalent to 25 large coal-fired power stations. The new capacity would be on top of 8GW already being built or in planning, making a total of 33GW.

The results of the year-long research into the geology, birds and marine life goes even further than the Carbon Trust, a company set up by government to help businesses reduce carbon emissions, which last year said the UK could build a total 29GW of off-shore wind.

However, the announcement was clouded by claims from the energy company E.ON that the economics of what is the UK's biggest current off-shore wind project, the London Array off the coast of Kent and Essex, were "on a knife edge".

Emily Highmore, a spokeswoman for the company, said they were "committed" to the London Array and another 300MW project in the Humber, but could not "guarantee" they would go ahead. A third E.ON off-shore wind project, in the Solway Firth between England and Scotland, is under construction. "Off-shore wind has always, and will always be, very expensive," she said. "We can't be confident it will go ahead, but we believe it's a cracking project and very important to helping the government meet its renewables targets."

E.ON wanted the government to double the financial support for off-shore wind, said Highmore. "We think it [the 33GW target] is ambitious and it's only going to be possible if we sort out funding, grid access and planning," she added.

The Carbon Trust report also urged government to make more offshore sites available for developers at lower cost, help invest in research and development to improve efficiency, and improve the National Grid.

Yesterday Tom Jennings, the Carbon Trust's strategy manager, said many recommendations were already being put in place, but more detail was needed, for example, in planning regulations. "The economics in the short-term are looking marginal [but] in the long-term they should look attractive, as long as the costs reduce," said.

If successful, off-shore and on-shore wind power could cut total UK carbon dioxide emissions by 14%, and create up to 70,000 jobs in the UK, supplying both domestic and export markets, said the Carbon Trust report.



UK Reports Point To Wind, Tide Power Deployment
Gerard Wynn, PlanetArk 27 Jan 09

LONDON - Britain on Monday removed a key obstacle to installing up to 7,000 wind turbines in the North Sea, and narrowed a shortlist of projects for generating up to 9 gigawatts of tidal power.

Together the new offshore wind and tidal power plans could generate power equivalent to more than half the country's capacity now, exploiting Britain's extensive coasts, but they are a decade or more from completion.

The energy and climate change ministry said wind power developments should minimize wider impacts, for example on the tourism and fishing industries, by installing new turbines at least 22 kilometers from the coast.

Britain is trying to give private investors better clarity on prospects for renewable power, as it tries to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 compared to about 2 percent now, under European Union targets.

"In terms of electricity, offshore wind power could potentially make the single biggest contribution to our 2020 renewable energy target so it's vital we maximize the UK's natural resources to help in the fight against climate change," said Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband.

The next step is a public consultation, and the country will decide within months on a specific offshore wind power target.

Britain has 8 GW pipeline of offshore wind power built or in a construction pipeline. The government anticipates potential planning consents for a further 25 GW from 2010, and construction of these from 2015.

UK energy regulator Ofgem last week appointed advisers to aid a competitive bidding process to build the necessary grid to connect such offshore wind power, in contracts worth more than 10 billion pounds ($13.81 billion).

Separately, Britain on Monday announced five possible projects to generate power from a large tidal area in south-west England, called the Severn estuary, subject to a final decision in 2010.

The largest of the projects could generate 8.6 gigawatts (GW) of tidal power, and would cost an estimated 21 billion pounds.

Added to a possible 33 GW of offshore wind, that could create some 42 GW of renewable power, compared to about 80 GW of total UK generating capacity now.

But the inconstancy of wind power means 40 GW of onshore and offshore wind could only displace about 6 GW of conventional fossil fuel power, while generating far more than that over the course of a year, according to the Carbon Trust, which advises UK companies and the government on cutting carbon emissions.