What Future for Offshore Wind Farms in Europe?

In the beginning there were only onshore wind farms. But with newer wind turbine technology and reduced objections from local communities, offshore wind farms seemed the ideal solution. But in Europe it seems that continued problems are stifling offshore wind growth and may require a re-emphasis back to onshore wind farms.

It’s not just that the technology is generally more expensive and requires more maintenance offshore, but there’s the three “B”s- birds, bombs and basking sharks to be considered.

Three utilities last week scrapped an expansion of the London Array, the world’s biggest offshore wind farm in the Thames estuary, east of London. That was the culmination of  three months when each of the six largest British utilities retreated from marine wind energy projects.  Could this signal a return to land-based farms in the UK?

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Red Throated Diver

The power provider and  developer EON highlighted concerns about disrupting the wintering grounds of the red-throated diver and the three years it would take to produce a report on any threat to the birds. However that wasn’t the only concern. The offshore wind industry does not seem able to bring its costs down quickly enough in countries where governments and users are  increasingly concerned about the price of electricity.

Keith Anderson, the CEO of Iberdrola’s ScottishPower Renewables Unit said:

 “It’s either the cost because of the technical challenges or the environmental issues”that’s thwarting projects. There’s a bit of realism that unless we can deliver these projects for a lower price, then it’s unrealistic to expect to continue to get political and government support.”

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Keith Anderson

Let’s not forget that the British market is crucial to the industry because it’s the biggest source of new projects and accounts for more than half the global installed capacity.  About 6,930 megawatts of machines are working worldwide now with 3,689 megawatts of them in Britain, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A thousand megawatts is almost as much as a nuclear reactor produces. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has already set incentives for offshore wind through 2019, hoping to stimulate clean-energy jobs. But that may not be enough as the feasibility of ambitious offshore wind projects meet hard financial, environmental and technical issues.

The British government has set the industry a goal of reducing its costs to 100 pounds ($167) a megawatt-hour by 2020.  It is now approximately 147 pounds and will struggle to meet the target. ScottishPower in December cited basking sharks among reasons for scrapping an offshore project.

The United States has no offshore wind farms although it has plans for a very large one off Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Cape Wind).

Despite these issues, the British Government remains upbeat and the energy and climate change department said in a statement:

“It is perfectly normal for developers to adjust their plans as they progress. This government is committed to a thriving offshore wind sector.”

Relics from the Second World War can also a problem for Offshore wind; TenneT TSO two years ago detected several World War II mines as it prepared to lay cables linking the EWE’s Riffgat project to the grid. The link was completed last week.

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But it’s not all gloom for the offshore wind developers. More robust and powerful turbines are being tested by manufacturers such as Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Siemens AG which should mean that fewer foundations are needed. RWE and Dong have commissioned specialized vessels to help install turbines and industry groups are evaluating the costs of cabling, servicing and ports.

Eventually costs should come down and make more offshore wind farms more attractive in Europe as more farms are constructed, but it’s important for everyone to hold their nerve. and perhaps in the meantime look for more modest wind farm sites for investment on the mainlands of Europe.