A new study on the future of offshore wind in the UK has highlighted the complex factors needed to be managed in order to deploy the up to 140GW by 2050 needed to help deliver the country’s net zero goal.
The ‘Future Offshore Wind Scenarios’ (FOWS) project is intended to support the future development of offshore wind by illustrating the complex factors that must be balanced within the marine environment including consideration of the cost of energy.
It provides a more holistic consideration of the complex interactions concerning offshore wind deployment out to net zero than was previously available and will help to inform future decision making.
The study – commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland, and carried out by Arup with support from ORE Catapult and ABPmer – provides the first illustrative framework for how the UK could deploy sufficient offshore wind to meet net zero.
FOWS is part of The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme, which gathers and harnesses data and evidence to drive forward the sustainable and coordinated expansion of offshore wind while supporting clean, healthy, productive and biologically diverse seas.
The insights gained from FOWS will inform decisions about the UK’s offshore energy future including the UK government’s Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme, which is gathering further data and building evidence, using this study as an important reference point.
The study highlights the important role that floating wind can play, increasing deployment location options, with the potential to ease spatial pressures in UK waters.
It also notes the need for whole-system planning and integrated marine spatial planning.
Energy Minister Greg Hands said: “We are already a world leader in offshore wind. This report will help inform the UK’s future deployment of renewable energy, reducing our exposure to volatile global gas prices and boosting our energy security.”
The Crown Estate head of marine development Will Apps said: “Offshore wind is set to play a pivotal role in the UK’s 2050 energy system and net zero transition – but delivering on that potential will require balanced and holistic consideration of other marine activities and the natural environment.
“This study, supported through our Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme, for the first time places the nation’s net zero offshore wind ambitions into a spatial context, providing an excellent evidence base for policymakers, the industry and broader stakeholders to use as they work together to deliver this potential, vital for UK energy security and the green economy.”
Crown Estate Scotland head of offshore wind development Colin MacIver said: “The opportunities for the UK’s offshore wind sector to help deliver on net-zero are clear.
“Our recent experience with the ScotWind Leasing round – which could provide enough green electricity to supply every home in Scotland – has demonstrated the appetite of developers to invest in clean energy.
“It will be important that we continue to work together in order to realise the tremendous potential and provide a just transition for all.”
Arup Scotland energy leader Clare Lavelle said: “The UK has ambitious plans for the offshore wind industry as we strive to reach net zero.
“For us to make the most of this technology and increase capacity to the levels we need, careful consideration is needed to understand the cost and interactions of different deployment options.
“Our modelling is an important step in understanding and quantifying these interactions and offers a tool to be able to test different scenarios to support future stakeholder engagement.”