The UK’s Carbon Trust has launched a joint industry programme focused on integrating offshore wind into the power system with industry partners that include Equinor and Vattenfall.
The integrator programme aims to maximise the contribution of offshore wind to a low cost, flexible, predictable and low carbon energy future.
The other developers involved in and funding the initiative are EnBW, ScottishPower Renewables and Total.
The partners will collaborate on a series of projects, within the integrator programme, over the next year.
The programme will kick off with a study to define key market factors that impact the use and integration of offshore wind energy and a study to identify key technology options that could maximise opportunities for offshore wind energy use and integration, considering the wider market characteristics.
Integration costs to adapt the energy system to balance demand and generation relating to variable generation, like offshore wind, is not captured in standard levelised cost of energy (LCoE) figures.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s latest energy generation cost predictions show that as the LCoE of offshore wind continues to fall through 2035, system integration costs become an increasingly significant part of the total cost of offshore wind.
The integrator programme will examine the interplay between offshore wind, existing infrastructure, and other technologies and developments to highlight opportunities for innovation investment.
Carbon Trust offshore wind director Jan Matthiesen said: “Industry and governments recognise that successful cost reduction in offshore wind has paved the way for it to play a larger role in the generation mix of a net zero future.
“Building on the Carbon Trust’s extensive experience of designing and managing collaborative innovation programmes for offshore wind, the integrator programme marks the opening of a new chapter to investigate the interplay between offshore wind and other technologies to understand the opportunities that exist for offshore wind to extend beyond electricity generation.”