Shed costs to develop wind: SeaEnergy

Offshore wind farm construction costs in Britain need to drop by around 30 percent over the next decade if the sector is to develop and help the country meet its green energy targets, a British offshore wind farm developer said.

"If the industry doesn't take off, how else are we going to supply our energy? We don't have the choice, we have to put more renewable energy capacity in place," said Allan MacAskill, business development director for SeaEnergy Renewables, which has permits for developing offshore wind farms in British waters.

He said collaboration among developers was crucial to lower costs, which was especially important for turbines, the substructures holding the wind farms in place and installation of the projects.

He compared the nascent industry to early lessons learned in the oil and gas drilling sector, where drilling the first well of a program took 45 days, while the final project took only eight days, bringing down costs.

"I think you make that very rapid change quite quickly, the learning curve declines toward the end," he told Reuters at a London conference.

International wind energy players such as German engineering firm Siemens, Spain's Gamesa and Danish manufacturer Vestas in January announced plans to build manufacturing and research facilities in the UK.

Britain has awarded licenses to construct up to 40 gigawatts GW of offshore wind capacity off its coasts.

At the start of the year, Britain was the world leader in installed offshore wind capacity with 1,341 megawatts MW in operation, according to the European Wind Energy Association.

Related News

global energy crunch

4 ways the energy crisis hits U.S. electricity, gas, EVs

WASHINGTON - A global energy crunch is creating pain for people struggling to fill their tanks and heat their homes, as well as roiling the utility industry’s plans to change its mix of generation and complicating the Biden administration’s plans to tackle climate change.

The ripple effects of a surge in natural gas prices include a spike in coal use and emissions that counter clean energy targets. High fossil fuel prices also are translating into high prices and a supply crunch for key minerals like silicon used in clean energy projects. On a call with investors yesterday, a Tesla Inc. executive…

READ MORE

Ontario government wants new gas plants to boost electricity production

READ MORE

winter in dallas

Electricity retailer Griddy's unusual plea to Texas customers: Leave now before you get a big bill

READ MORE

San Diego Gas & Electric

Utilities commission changes community choice exit fees; what happens now in San Diego?

READ MORE

large solar panels

U.S. Senate Looks to Modernize Renewable Energy on Public Land

READ MORE