tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/offshore-wind-8182/articlesOffshore wind – The Conversation2024-03-21T12:40:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2254882024-03-21T12:40:03Z2024-03-21T12:40:03ZSix innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582845/original/file-20240319-18-t87r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C8%2C5520%2C3677&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A large floating wind turbine is installed in France, October 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Obatala-photography</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Yes, you read that right – float. You may have seen a wind turbine in the sea before, but chances are you were looking at a “fixed” turbine – that is, one that sits on top of a foundation drilled into the seabed. For the new frontier of offshore wind power, the focus is on floating wind turbines. In this case, the turbines are supported by floating structures that bob and sway in response to waves and wind and are moored with chains and anchored to the seafloor. </p>
<p>This is becoming the focus of the sector for the simple reason that most wind blows above deep water, where building fixed platforms would be too expensive or simply impossible. Designing these new floating platforms is a true engineering challenge, and is a focus of my <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123011292?via%3Dihub">academic</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123002733?via%3Dihub">research</a>.</p>
<p>These wind turbines are enormous, reaching up to 240m tall – about the size of a skyscraper. Since they are so tall, strong winds far above the sea surface tend to make the turbine want to tilt, so platform designs focus on minimising this tilt while still being cost-competitive with other forms of energy. </p>
<p>There are more than 100 ideas for platform designs, but we can broadly group them into the following six categories:</p>
<h2>1. Spar</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rendering of spar turbine design" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=733&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582823/original/file-20240319-24-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=922&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hywind Spar by Norwegian energy firm Equinor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.equinor.com/">Equinor</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Spars are narrow, deep platforms with weight added to the bottom to counteract the wind force (this is called “ballast”). They are usually relatively easy to make because they normally consist of just one cylinder. </p>
<p>However, they can extend 100 metres or more underwater, which means they can’t be deployed in normal docks which are not deep enough. Specialist installation procedures are required to install the turbine once the platform has been towed into deep water.</p>
<h2>2. Barge</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Floating wind turbine barge from above" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582828/original/file-20240319-30-a47s2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Damping Pool, by French firm BW Ideol.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.bw-ideol.com/en">BW Ideol/ V. Joncheray</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Barges are wide, shallow platforms that use buoyancy far from the centre of the structure to counteract the wind force on the tower. As they usually extend less than 10 metres underwater, they do not need any specialist deep-water docks or installation vessels. </p>
<p>However, they can be difficult to make because the platform is usually a single, large unit with a complex shape.</p>
<h2>3. Tension-leg platform</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram of floating wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1447&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582829/original/file-20240319-24-dx11p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1447&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">PelaFlex by Swansea-based Marine Power Systems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.marinepowersystems.co.uk/">Marine Power Systems</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tension-leg platforms, or TLPs, use taut mooring lines to connect the platform to the seabed and stop the turbine from tilting in the wind. </p>
<p>These platforms are usually smaller and lighter than the other types, which makes them easier to fit at a standard port. Also, their seabed “footprint” is small due to the taut lines. </p>
<p>However, the platforms are usually not stable until attached to their mooring lines, meaning that a special towing and installation solution is required.</p>
<h2>4. Semi-submersible</h2>
<p>Semi-submersibles consist of three, four or five connected vertical cylinders, with the turbine in the middle or above one of the columns. The platform utilises buoyancy far from the centre (similar to the barge) and ballast at the base of each column (similar to the spar). </p>
<p>Like barges, semi-submersibles do not require specialist tow-out equipment and work for a wide range of water depths. Manufacturing is again a challenge.</p>
<h2>5. Combination-type</h2>
<p>The four categories above are the more “traditional” platforms, influenced by their predecessors in the oil and gas industry. Since the 1960s, floating platforms have meant huge oil rigs can access deeper water sites (the deepest is over 2,000m). Most of these oil rigs in deep water are either semi-submersibles, anchored to the seabed with chains, or TLPs, connected to the seabed with taut cables.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Floating oil platform from above" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582839/original/file-20240319-18-9hddib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 22,000 tonne Perdido oil platform afloat in the Gulf of Mexico.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bseegov/51115227891/in/photolist-2kSSUqB-Wjv85j-5iDEs6-5iEtEc-5iE32z-5iE32V-5iEtE8-5iE32R-5iE32B-5iE32M-8eXPHK-8f27AA-8gjHwx-8f27X1">Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement BSEE</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More recently, there has been a trend towards platforms more specialised to floating wind. Specifically, some use a combination of the stability mechanisms, taking advantages from each of the previous designs. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram of floating wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1410&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582834/original/file-20240319-9877-2fnt6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1410&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">TetraSpar, by Danish firm Stiesdal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.stiesdal.com/">Stiesdal</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, “lowerable ballast” platforms look like traditional semi-submersible or barge platforms, but with a weight hanging from from taut cables. </p>
<p>During turbine installation at the port and tow-out, the weight is raised, so that a traditional (non-deep) dock can be used and no specialist equipment is needed. At the site of installation, the weight is lowered and the platform gets extra stability from a low centre of mass.</p>
<p>Other designs use the benefits of stability from taut mooring lines (similar to a TLP) but are designed to be stable during tow-out and so don’t need a special installation vessel. For example, the picture below shows the X1 Wind platform:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram of floating wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582835/original/file-20240319-30-3izp81.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A combination design by Barcelona-based X1 Wind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.x1wind.com/">X1 Wind</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The taut mooring lines are attached to a single column, which is installed initially. The rest of the platform, which is self-stable, is then towed out and connected to the pre-installed column with the taut mooring lines. The platform uses the extra stability from the mooring lines but without the tow-out instability typical of TLPs.</p>
<h2>6. Hybrid platforms</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Floating wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582842/original/file-20240319-30-7fvt0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">PelaFlex platform with wave energy converters and wind turbine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.marinepowersystems.co.uk/">Marine Power Systems</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These platforms add another type of renewable energy, most commonly a wave energy converter. This increases the overall amount of energy generated, and reduces costs as power cables, maintenance and other infrastructure can be shared.</p>
<p>A wave energy converter also reduces platform motion, which in turn increases the power performance from the turbine. </p>
<h2>Room for improvement</h2>
<p>Four floating offshore wind farms have already been built, the largest of which was opened in 2023 <a href="https://www.equinor.com/energy/hywind-tampen">off the coast of Norway</a>. Two of these farms use the Hywind spar design and two use the <a href="https://www.principlepower.com/windfloat">WindFloat semi-submersible</a>. </p>
<p>There have been 18 other platform designs to reach at-sea testing, including at least one of each of the categories described above. Some have plans to build floating farms in the next few years, and additional early-stage designs have plans to deploy their own prototype devices in the near future.</p>
<p>Interestingly, platforms are actually diverging in design. After many years, wind turbines have mostly converged on the three-bladed design that you see today, but there has been no such convergence yet on a consensus “best” floating platform. This suggests significant improvements are still possible, especially in terms of reducing motion and decreasing cost. </p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma C. Edwards has received funding through the Cornwall FLOW Accelerator, funded through the European Regional Development Fund. Her other research has been funded by the US Office of Naval Research and the UK Research & Innovation council. </span></em></p>Meet the next generation of wind turbines that can operate in deeper waters.Emma C. Edwards, Career Development Fellow in Engineering, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2220982024-02-22T17:26:34Z2024-02-22T17:26:34ZOffshore wind farms: policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts – new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575368/original/file-20240213-28-r3rhvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New metrics could help policymakers assess the benefits and environmental effects of offshore wind more effectively</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-offshore-workers-on-top-windmill-1808741995">dragancfm/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Towering up to <a href="https://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine">260m</a> above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what happens beneath the waves?</p>
<p>Government policymakers need reliable evidence to make planning decisions about new offshore wind developments and ensure positive outcomes. Currently, this evidence comes from a huge variety of sources, resulting in a lack of consistency and conflicting conclusions.</p>
<p>“Primary literature” refers to studies published in scientific journals, following a structured peer review process. “<a href="https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/c.php?g=670055&p=4756572">Grey literature</a>” includes all other types of reports and evidence sources. </p>
<p>For offshore wind farms, decision-makers more frequently rely on grey literature such as environmental statements, impact or habitat risk assessments, survey reports, social studies, and pre- and post-construction reports. But new research by myself and colleagues into these different forms of evidence reveals some unexpected findings.</p>
<h2>Shades of grey</h2>
<p>Our team of marine researchers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103693">compiled evidence from grey and primary literature</a> for environmental and social impacts of UK offshore wind farms published between 2002 and 2022. We discovered that primary and grey literature do not always present the same information.</p>
<p>Policymakers tend to favour grey literature even though it gives a less balanced outlook, perhaps due to access issues. Primary literature often sits behind paywalls, the process of review can lead to lengthy delays in publication, and these studies may just investigate one species or process in detail. Grey literature is easier to access, available much sooner, and can provide a useful overview or synthesis of available knowledge, which is exactly what regulators need.</p>
<p>Overall, 71% of outcomes reported in grey literature for the impacts of offshore wind farms are negative, compared with 36% in primary literature. This disparity could in part be due to the fact that environmental impact assessments address potential rather than specific impacts, and reflect a high proportion of the grey literature.</p>
<p>In addition, some positive outcomes related to offshore wind farms that are reported in primary literature are not found in grey literature. These can include positive impacts on food provision – for example, certain fish, such as cod and pouting, seem to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016578361200327X">aggregate</a> around these structures. Other aspects not evidenced in grey literature are improved water quality through filtration by shellfish, and carbon export, whereby deposits of faecal pellets by shellfish living on the wind turbines bring carbon down to the seabed for longer-term storage. </p>
<p>Lobster fishermen report better catches inside turbine arrays, but boats with mobile fishing gear such as trawlers and dredgers are often excluded from turbine arrays or cable routes due to practical and safety issues. This could provide a refuge for certain fish species, but is slowly eroding the right to commercial fishing where wind farms and cables are sited over important fishing grounds. </p>
<p>Negative impacts include underwater noise, increased boat traffic, and risk of collision and disturbance to marine mammals, particularly during <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.664724/full">construction</a>. Also, preferred feeding sites or migration routes <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12961">can be disrupted</a> by the physical barriers caused by turbines and cables on the seabed that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.05.041">emit electro-magnetic fields</a>. </p>
<p>There is also a fundamental lack of evidence for decommissioning, as well as disagreement on strategy – for example, whether to completely remove, partially remove, or repurpose old turbines. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119644">Decommissioning turbines</a> could result in pollution from chemicals and changes in nutrient cycling in the sea, depending on the strategy. This evidence gap urgently needs to be filled so that decommissioning strategies meet environmental targets.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Big red and white boat, next to offshore wind turbines, flat blue sea" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576733/original/file-20240220-16-pc4sxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Service vessels are an essential part of ongoing maintenance for offshore wind farms, but can contribute to boat traffic and acoustic pollution.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sevice-operations-vessel-dynamic-positioning-sat-1936176001">David_Maddock/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Future frontiers</h2>
<p>Low-carbon, renewable energy sources are essential for a <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/ar6-syr/">sustainable future</a>. The offshore wind industry is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-world-needs-hundreds-of-thousands-more-offshore-wind-turbines-where-will-they-all-go-206698">growing rapidly</a>, and the <a href="https://doggerbank.com/">Dogger Bank wind farm</a> in the North Sea will be the world’s largest on completion.</p>
<p>But any marine urbanisation has implications for the environment. For offshore wind, we need to identify the positives and negatives of such large-scale development on our seabed. </p>
<p>The UK government’s proposed <a href="https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2022/06/07/marine-net-gain-leaving-the-marine-environment-in-better-state/">marine net gain</a> policy specifies that new developments should result in more or better quality natural habitat than there was beforehand. But, given that we found just 2% of outcomes reported in UK grey literature are positive, compared with 28% of outcomes in primary literature, opportunities to assess and achieve these targets may be missed. </p>
<p>The next frontier for offshore wind is <a href="https://www.iberdrola.com/innovation/floating-offshore-wind">floating turbines</a>, in which seabed anchoring systems replace the fixed base. These turbines can be sited in much deeper water, further from shore. That introduces a host of novel, and as yet poorly understood, environmental outcomes. We need to rapidly increase our understanding of the cumulative effects on ocean inhabitants and vital physical processes. Only then can we ramp up our renewable energy capacity while avoiding a myriad of unknown ecological and socio-economic consequences.</p>
<p>In the race to speed up the consenting process for offshore wind and increase the evidence base for decision-making, the industry needs standardised methods of data collection in grey literature, clear policy frameworks, and better communication between scientists and industry so evidence from primary literature can be used in evaluations. Environmental impacts need to be consistently and fairly assessed, as do the risks associated with each wind farm development.</p>
<p>Definitive metrics for assessing and measuring improvements to the environment need to be decided to achieve marine net gain. And we need diverse voices from the energy industry, wildlife conservation, fishing and recreational sectors to ensure that this marine urbanisation favours positive gains across the board.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Szostek receives funding from UKRI as part of UKERC. </span></em></p>A new study highlights how different literature portrays the pros and cons of offshore wind. Comprehensive assessment frameworks could create more consistency in the future.Claire Szostek, Marine Ecologist, Plymouth Marine LaboratoryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2203462023-12-29T18:38:10Z2023-12-29T18:38:10ZFour good news climate stories from 2023<p>We don’t want to give you the wrong idea: things are bad. Antarctic ice sheets are melting, the fossil fuel lobby was everywhere <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-fossil-fuel-companies-won-cop28-211212">at the COP talks</a>, and even solutions like electric cars have their problems. And that just covers the past few weeks of this newsletter.</p>
<p>But to end 2023 we’d like to focus on a few of the more optimistic stories we have run over the past year. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong>This roundup of The Conversation’s 2023 climate coverage comes from our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">weekly climate action newsletter</a>.</strong> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.</a></em></p>
<hr>
<h2>1. We have skyscraper-sized wind turbines now</h2>
<p>Back in January, we asked Simon Hogg, executive director of Durham Energy Institute, about huge new wind turbines <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-are-already-skyscraper-sized-is-there-any-limit-to-how-big-they-will-get-196131">being built in the North Sea</a></strong>. </p>
<p>These turbines, he wrote, “stand more than a quarter of a kilometre high from the surface of the sea to the highest point of the blade tip”.</p>
<p>“If you placed one in London, it would be the third-tallest structure in the city, taller than One Canada Square in Canary Wharf and just 50 metres shorter than the Shard. Each of its three blades would be longer than Big Ben’s clock tower is tall.”</p>
<p>The sheer size has some benefits: “A bigger blade extracts energy from the wind over a greater area as it rotates, which generates more electricity.” Each rotation can power an average home for two days. </p>
<p>In theory, Hogg notes, turbines could keep getting bigger and bigger. They will soon run into some practical problems though, as huge blades are harder to maintain and we are running out of ports and ships big enough for them. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, ever bigger wind turbines have been a key reason why Britain has managed to shift much of its electricity generation from <a href="https://theconversation.com/britain-likely-to-generate-more-electricity-from-wind-solar-and-hydro-than-fossil-fuels-for-the-first-year-ever-in-2023-219936">fossil fuels to renewables</a> over the past decade.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-are-already-skyscraper-sized-is-there-any-limit-to-how-big-they-will-get-196131">Wind turbines are already skyscraper-sized – is there any limit to how big they will get?</a>
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<h2>2. Solar power keeps getting cheaper and more adaptable</h2>
<p>Britain is, of course, more windy than sunny. But in much of the world, solar power is the real game changer. </p>
<p>Yet one issue with solar is that we may run out of material needed to produce silicon cells – the main sort of solar panels you see in solar farms or on rooftops. Therefore many academics are looking for alternatives. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Aerial view of large solar farm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=121&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=121&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=121&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=153&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=153&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567495/original/file-20231229-19-87ep5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=153&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Solar fills the horizon in Broken Hill, Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/industrial-solar-panel-farm-power-plant-2100988024">Taras Vyshnya / shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>One of these academics is David Benyon of Swansea University. In March he wrote about his new research, which involved developing “the world’s first rollable and fully printable <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/perovskite-new-type-of-solar-technology-paves-the-way-for-abundant-cheap-and-printable-cells-202579">solar cell made from perovskite</a></strong>, a material that is much less expensive to produce than silicon.” The technology is still in its early stages and needs to become more efficient but, he writes, “this points to the possibility of making cheaper solar cells on a much greater scale than ever before”.</p>
<p>Perhaps perovskite will become the new silicon, or maybe some other technology will dominate in future, but what’s clear is that solar power is fast becoming even cheaper and more accessible. The challenge for perovskite researchers, Benyon says, is to focus on “converting what’s happening in the labs into real-world devices”. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/perovskite-new-type-of-solar-technology-paves-the-way-for-abundant-cheap-and-printable-cells-202579">Perovskite: new type of solar technology paves the way for abundant, cheap and printable cells</a>
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<h2>3. On the menu: mammoth meatball</h2>
<p>Scientists recently created a meatball made of the flesh of extinct woolly mammoth. This in itself isn’t the good news: no one is proposing we fix climate change with prehistoric food. </p>
<p>But it’s proof that cellular agriculture, sometimes called “lab-grown meat”, can work. As Silvia Malagoli at Strathclyde University writes: “Lab-grown meat has the potential to offer a <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/italy-is-set-to-ban-lab-grown-meat-heres-why-it-should-think-again-203251">much more sustainable food</a></strong> source than traditional animal farming that could also help reduce the spread of disease.”</p>
<p>This could unlock huge amounts of land for rewilding or recreation. “If scaled up, lab-grown meat would use substantially less land and water. Research finds that around 99% less land is required to produce 1kg of lab-grown meat than would have to be used by European farms to produce the same amount.”</p>
<p>Malagoli also points out that lab-grown meat wouldn’t require the same volume of antibiotics that animal farmers use to prevent the spread of disease: “Their overuse is contributing to a rise of antibiotic resistance. The United Nations estimates that, by 2050, antibiotic resistance will lead to more deaths than cancer worldwide.”</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/italy-is-set-to-ban-lab-grown-meat-heres-why-it-should-think-again-203251">Italy is set to ban lab-grown meat – here’s why it should think again</a>
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<h2>4. Climate change tipping points can be a good thing too</h2>
<p>You’ve probably heard about the doomsday scenario of a part of the climate system – an ice sheet, perhaps, or a rainforest – suddenly passing a “tipping point” beyond which it is impossible to stop it changing into something else (perhaps barren rock or dried out savanna, respectively). The Conversation has covered these scenarios extensively over the years, most recently in a piece by authors of the major new <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-tipping-points-are-nearer-than-you-think-our-new-report-warns-of-catastrophic-risk-219243">tipping points report</a>. </p>
<p>But that same report also contained some positives. Climate-related technologies or social and political behaviour can also pass similar tipping points, beyond which something better becomes inevitable. Steven Smith at the University of Sussex and his colleagues wrote about these sorts of <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-tipping-points-can-be-positive-too-our-report-sets-out-how-to-engineer-a-domino-effect-of-rapid-changes-219291">“positive” tipping points</a> which they say are “already happening, in areas ranging from renewable energy and electric vehicles, to social movements and plant-based diets”.</p>
<p>Their report sets out “ways to intervene in these systems to enable positive tipping points to be triggered – for example by making the desired change the cheapest, most convenient or morally acceptable option”.</p>
<p>They say that passing one tipping point can even set off a domino effect:</p>
<p>“For example, as we cross the tipping point that sees electric vehicles become the dominant form of road transport, battery technology will continue to get better and cheaper.</p>
<p>"This could trigger another positive tipping point in the use of batteries for storing renewable energy, reinforcing another in the use of heat pumps in our homes, and so on. And there are what we call ‘super-leverage points’ – places where we can deliberately intervene with information campaigns, mandates and incentives to create widespread change across sectors.”</p>
<p>Good news then for anyone who feels like we’ve been getting nowhere with climate action despite decades of effort. Things might suddenly look very different once past a certain point. As the saying almost goes, mammoth burgers are impossible until they are inevitable.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-tipping-points-can-be-positive-too-our-report-sets-out-how-to-engineer-a-domino-effect-of-rapid-changes-219291">Climate 'tipping points' can be positive too – our report sets out how to engineer a domino effect of rapid changes</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220346/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Including a positive way to think about tipping points.Will de Freitas, Environment + Energy Editor, UK editionLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2130352023-09-25T16:25:35Z2023-09-25T16:25:35ZOffshore wind: a perfect storm of inflation and policy uncertainty risks derailing the UK’s main hope for a low-carbon future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549575/original/file-20230921-19-70nwgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C826%2C3850%2C1740&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/offshore-wind-farm-on-uk-coast-1392499352">pauljrobinson/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In what many have deemed a disaster, the UK government’s latest auction for renewable power – an annual attempt to incentivise private sector investment in a range of power sources – has failed to bring forward <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-5-results">any new offshore wind projects</a>. Consequently, the government’s own target of achieving 50 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030 is hanging by a thread, and investor confidence has <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news/651036/Industry-warns-urgent-action-needed-to-restore-investor-confidence-following-renewables-auction-.htm">hit a new low</a>.</p>
<p>The UK’s rollout of offshore wind has been one of the few sustained successes the government could turn to in recent years. Supported by the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/contracts-for-difference">Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme</a> – the shining star of the government’s low-carbon policy suite – the price of offshore wind has consistently fallen further than expected in each round of auctions.</p>
<p>Through the CfD scheme, developers are guaranteed a fixed price for the electricity they generate over the first 15 years of a project’s lifespan. The price is determined in a competitive auction where developers must submit bids below a maximum cap set by government, known as the “administrative strike price”.</p>
<p>The CfD scheme, which has been adopted by governments throughout Europe and beyond, has been <a href="https://www.financierworldwide.com/financing-the-green-transition-the-evolution-of-contracts-for-difference">widely acknowledged</a> for its pivotal role in driving down the cost of offshore wind. These fixed-price contracts significantly lessen investor risk, which in turn reduces the overall cost of these capital-intensive projects. This is because investors with a lower risk appetite will enter and lend their money at lower interest rates.</p>
<p>Since the first CfDs were signed in 2014, offshore wind costs have <a href="https://www.institute.global/insights/climate-and-energy/efficient-energy-transition-lessons-uks-offshore-wind-rollout">fallen an impressive 74%</a>. However, this trend has taken a different turn over the past year. Project costs <a href="https://windeurope.org/newsroom/news/offshore-wind-investments-recovering-but-still-way-to-go-including-supply-chain">have been rising</a>, partly due to the highest inflation rates seen in 30 years. And, for the first time, not a single offshore wind project was able to bid below the cap set by the government in the latest round of auctions.</p>
<p>This has led some to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/31a61da0-1a8c-4a1f-9658-21f24d260743?accessToken=zwAGBNfSkwCokc8xph2gGoxKH9OWWCHyTSYHQw.MEUCICF35m3lWyltpYRsqqgTkmuOb2Bdiqu7qSPilxUOmLE7AiEAqSwfJM98bxnWJIf8x6Oal50_H4-xSX1vmz4KdMkWWJ0&sharetype=gift&token=6f247133-66f2-4ba4-a158-472e26441490">question</a> whether the UK’s era of cheap offshore wind is over. However, in reality, offshore wind remains one of the cheapest and most suitable technologies available to the UK for the energy transition. </p>
<p>Rather than pondering this particular question, the focus should instead be on finding solutions to restore confidence in the UK’s offshore wind sector and developing a plan for the strategic delivery of what is expected to be the dominant technology in the UK’s future electricity system.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Construction site of a new offshore wind farm." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549576/original/file-20230921-25-2mccm1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Inflation has caused the cost of building a wind farm to soar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/construction-site-new-offshore-wind-farm-496959583">T.W. van Urk/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why are costs going up?</h2>
<p>The primary factor driving up the cost of delivering a new offshore wind project mirrors a predicament that is currently facing us all – inflation has made things more expensive to buy and money more expensive to borrow. The rate at which prices are rising is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12196322">starting to fall</a>, but remains significantly above where it was two years ago. For those involved in the construction of an offshore wind farm, this means the cost of both the physical parts (such as the turbines) and the debt (bank loans) has gone up. </p>
<p>This issue is not limited to offshore wind technology alone. The cost of both onshore wind and solar power also increased in the latest auction. And if one were to build a new gas-fired power station, it would also cost more today than it did a year ago.</p>
<p>The assertion that rising costs mark the end of cheap offshore wind is therefore misleading. What truly matters is the relative cost, and offshore wind remains cheap relative to other technologies.</p>
<p>There is, however, a second issue contributing to the increased cost of offshore wind – an increasing imbalance between supply and demand in the supply chain. With increasing numbers of offshore wind projects coming forward in recent years, both in the UK and abroad, there is more demand for parts and labour. But supply chain capacity is slow to catch up. </p>
<p>The supply chain companies currently in the market can therefore command higher prices for their materials and services until more production capacity enters the market. However, that new investment in capacity will not come forward unless industry has confidence that the UK will build offshore wind projects at the rate required to hit government targets.</p>
<h2>Shifting the focus</h2>
<p>Technology costs will not continue to fall indefinitely. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1179359/electricity-generation-costs-2023.pdf">Government forecasts</a> even suggest we have probably reached the bottom. So, to lower the cost for the entire fleet of projects required to reach net zero, the emphasis needs to shift towards efficient project delivery rather than a sole focus on technological advancements.</p>
<p>The government should therefore focus on producing a long-term delivery plan for the offshore wind sector. This plan should include the amount of offshore wind it wishes to procure in each auction, delivering confidence to industry and allowing the development of a healthy supply chain. </p>
<p>It could also include standardisation of technology to maximise further cost reductions and accelerate delivery. And it should include updates to the CfD scheme design, such as making auction caps more reflective of current costs so that consumers do not miss out on the cheapest forms of electricity. </p>
<p>The UK government met the challenge of reducing the cost of offshore wind. Now it must rise to the challenge of ensuring that this sector – the backbone of the UK’s future electricity system – is actually delivered.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Phil McNally does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The government wants offshore wind to form the backbone of the UK’s future electricity system – but a key auction has delivered no new projects.Phil McNally, Research Fellow in Electricity Markets, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2053192023-05-23T11:14:48Z2023-05-23T11:14:48ZHow we stop floating wind turbines the size of skyscrapers from drifting away<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527507/original/file-20230522-29-juo0z1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4031%2C3024&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hywind Tampen wind farm, Norway.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://equinor.fotoware.cloud/fotoweb/archives/5020-Press/Folder%201/HYT_offshore1.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5020-Press%2F">Karoline Rivero Bernacki/Equinor</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Growing demand for cleaner energy sources means offshore wind farms are being built all over the world. <a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2021/09/irena_and_gwec_offshore_wind_energy_compact_-_final_1.pdf">More than 5,000</a> turbines must be installed each year until 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5°C.</p>
<p>But in certain regions, like California, it is difficult to build wind turbines directly on the seafloor due to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/california-is-planning-floating-wind-farms-offshore-to-boost-its-power-supply-heres-how-they-work-163419">steep drop-off of the continental shelf</a>. </p>
<p>Even in areas with shallow coastal waters, such as the North Sea, congestion from shipping lanes, fishing activities, marine protected areas, tourism and existing energy infrastructure all impede new turbine construction. </p>
<p>So it’s hardly surprising that many of these new turbines will have to be located in deeper waters further out to sea. </p>
<p>Floating wind turbines are <a href="https://theconversation.com/floating-wind-farms-how-to-make-them-the-future-of-green-electricity-142847">emerging</a> as a promising solution. But turbines are also getting bigger at a rapid rate – allowing electricity to be produced at a <a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-are-already-skyscraper-sized-is-there-any-limit-to-how-big-they-will-get-196131">lower cost</a>. </p>
<p>The blades of <a href="https://www.equinor.com/energy/hywind-scotland">Hywind Scotland</a>, the world’s first commercial floating wind farm, tower 175 metres above the sea surface – the same height as the London skyscraper known as The Gherkin.</p>
<p>This represents a huge technical challenge. Located in deep waters, these large floating structures must withstand the relentless push and pull of the ocean while maintaining stability to ensure ongoing energy generation.</p>
<p>So, how do these colossal structures remain in place? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An illustration of the four types of floating wind farm platform side by side." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527696/original/file-20230523-29-upa5ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The four types of floating wind farm platform.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://acteon.com/">Acteon</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The floating wind turbine</h2>
<p>The mast of a floating wind turbine is connected to a platform, which is designed to provide stability. Several different types of floating platform exist, each with the dimensions of a football pitch.</p>
<p>Beneath the water, mooring lines keep the turbine stable and prevent it from drifting away. Mooring lines can be either very large steel chains or synthetic ropes. Each of the three steel chains used for <a href="https://www.equinor.com/content/dam/statoil/documents/newsroom-additional-documents/news-attachments/brochure-hywind-a4.pdf">Hywind Scotland</a>, for example, are approximately 900 metres long and weigh 400 tonnes. </p>
<p>The mooring lines are attached to the seabed with a ground anchor. Most people will be familiar with anchoring a boat or securing the guy ropes of a tent with pegs. </p>
<p>In both cases, the anchor (or peg) is embedded into the ground, making it harder for the anchor to become dislodged as the weight and strength of the ground has to be overcome to pull the anchor out. The anchors used for floating wind turbines are based on the same principle, but at a far greater scale.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-are-already-skyscraper-sized-is-there-any-limit-to-how-big-they-will-get-196131">Wind turbines are already skyscraper-sized – is there any limit to how big they will get?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Three main types of anchor are used to fix the floating platform to the seabed, each with unique characteristics. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Drag anchors are similar to traditional boat anchors, but can have a 6 metre wingspan and <a href="https://delmarvryhof.com/products/anchors/stevpris-mk6/">weigh up to 50 tonnes</a>. They are dragged into the seabed by an installation vessel and embed themselves into the ground until the required holding resistance is achieved.</p></li>
<li><p>Pile anchors are like very large (up to 60 metres in length) but hollow nails. These anchors are hammered into the ground using an extremely heavy hammer. If the turbine is being installed above very hard soils or a rocky seabed, then a hole can be drilled to facilitate the pile installation.</p></li>
<li><p>Suction pile anchors are also hollow cylindrical tubes, but a sealed top cap creates suction pressure when water is pumped from inside of the pile. This forces the pile into the seabed without the need for hammering (an effect similar to the use of a plunger to unclog a drain). This is the type of anchor used to secure <a href="https://www.equinor.com/content/dam/statoil/documents/newsroom-additional-documents/news-attachments/brochure-hywind-a4.pdf">Hywind Scotland</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The mooring line for a floating wind turbine at a dock." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527488/original/file-20230522-21-jkclqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The mooring line for a floating wind turbine at Polarbase, Hammerfest, Norway.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://equinor.fotoware.cloud/fotoweb/archives/5020-Press/Folder%201/CorpPress/740aca6a921d4ec99a766665b0e01c0b.jpg.info">Øyvind Gravås and Even Kleppa/Equinor</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Choosing the right anchor</h2>
<p>Floating wind farms are being planned for areas such as the <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/162/welsh-affairs-committee/news/186547/floating-offshore-wind-in-celtic-sea-could-be-biggest-investment-opportunity-in-wales-but-certainty-over-projects-needed-from-uk-government/">Celtic Sea</a> and coastal waters <a href="https://windeurope.org/newsroom/news/france-launches-two-new-offshore-wind-tenders-more-needed/">west of France</a>. However, the presence of hard rock seabeds in both areas means drag anchors will be difficult to use. </p>
<p>Even in dense sand, a <a href="https://delmarsystems.com/video-vryhof-successfully-installs-stevsharkrex-in-australian-calcarenite-rock/">drag anchor</a> may only partly enter the seabed, creating inadequate support for the largest turbines. Drilled piles are the best way to anchor floating turbines to hard rock, so in this case, a driven pile might be the only option.</p>
<p>But driving these piles into the ground generates significant underwater noise that can be harmful for marine species. Research has also found that the movement behaviour of Atlantic cod <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749122001270">subtly changed</a> in response to pile driving in the North Sea. </p>
<p>Even small changes in movement behaviour could affect individual growth and reproduction rates, potentially influencing the growth rate of entire populations.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022460X16001681">Several techniques</a> have now been devised to reduce noise. This includes air bubble curtains to limit the ecological impact of floating wind farms. But these techniques may result in additional costs that could make pile anchors too expensive.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Anchor pile hanging in crane of offshore installation vessel" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527539/original/file-20230522-23-hefy0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The installation of pile anchors generates significant underwater noise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/anchor-pile-hanging-crane-offshore-installation-411348676">ATJA/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The world needs a lot more wind turbines, and technology now allows installation further out to sea. But, as identified in our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.114327">recent review paper</a>, these environmental and technical challenges for anchoring the structures in place must be addressed. </p>
<p>Without more investment in anchor technology to streamline installation, improve anchor performance and limit damage to the natural world, the potential of floating wind to help the energy transition will be greatly reduced.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205319/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Cerfontaine received funding from the European Union (Grant agreement ID: 753156) and the Supergen ORE Hub (SEAMLESS project). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Gourvenec receives funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Chairs in Emerging Technologies Scheme </span></em></p>Offshore wind turbines are getting bigger and bigger – and many of them now float – here’s how we stop them drifting away.Benjamin Cerfontaine, Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering, University of SouthamptonSusan Gourvenec, Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies - Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering, University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2049012023-05-11T20:08:23Z2023-05-11T20:08:23ZDespairing about climate change? These 4 charts on the unstoppable growth of solar may change your mind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525531/original/file-20230511-22-a21m89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=176%2C10%2C726%2C488&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last year, the world built more new solar capacity than every other power source combined.</p>
<p>Solar is now growing much faster than any other energy technology in history. How fast? Fast enough to completely displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050.</p>
<p>The rise and rise of cheap solar is our best hope for rapidly mitigating climate change. </p>
<p>Total solar capacity tipped over 1 terawatt (1,000 gigawatts) for the first time last year. The sector is growing at around 20% a year. If this continues, we’ll hit 6 terawatts around 2031. In capacity terms, that would be larger than the combined total of coal, gas, nuclear and hydro. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525529/original/file-20230511-20-1x3xsy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As you can see, cheap solar is overtaking all other new-build energy sources. Global generation capacity additions (2018-2022)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Apr/Renewable-Capacity-Statistics-2022">IRENA, GWEC, WNA, GEM</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fewer and fewer new fossil fuel power stations are now being built. As the rest of the global fleet age, most will retire by mid-century. </p>
<h2>Australia is finding the path</h2>
<p>It might surprise you to learn that Australia is a global renewable energy pathfinder. Most solar panels use Australian-developed <a href="https://qeprize.org/">PERC technology</a>, for instance.</p>
<p>All the leading countries for per capita solar and wind generation are in Europe – except Australia. In Australia, 99% of new generation capacity is now solar and wind because it is cheap. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="per capita solar" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525525/original/file-20230511-17-5201jv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Highest per capita solar and wind generation in 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ember</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But unlike European countries, Australia cannot share electricity across national boundaries. </p>
<p>Instead, we have to cope with rapidly increasing levels of solar and wind by sharing it across state boundaries. This is proving to be <a href="https://aemo.com.au/newsroom/media-release/aemo-releases-30-year-electricity-market-roadmap">relatively straightforward</a>. Solar and wind have reached a <a href="https://opennem.org.au/energy/nem/">share of 31%</a> of the national electricity market, while the grid remains stable. </p>
<p>Already, three states or territories are at very high penetration of renewables. The ACT has built or bought enough renewables to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-01/act-is-100-per-cent-renewable-but-what-does-that-mean/11560356">cover 100%</a> of its use. Tasmania, too, is at 100% renewable power, thanks to hydro and wind, and is <a href="https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/recfit/renewables/tasmanian_renewable_energy_target">aiming to double</a> this to export to other states. And South Australia will soon become the world’s first gigawatt-scale grid to run on renewables. Currently, it’s sourcing <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/south-australia-grid-with-the-most-wind-and-solar-has-the-smallest-reliability-gap/">around 70%</a> of its power from solar and wind. </p>
<p>This matters because of Australia’s location. Like 80% of the world’s population, we live at low to moderate latitudes where there is plentiful sunshine, even in winter. That means the methods we pioneer or test can be readily adopted by nearly everyone else. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="chart showing 20% growth rate of solar to 2013" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525530/original/file-20230511-23-qlde1o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Global solar generation capacity, assuming continued 20% growth rate in annual deployment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">IRENA, GEM</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where will the era of ubiquitous solar take us?</h2>
<p>Solar capacity has been growing at <a href="https://www.irena.org/Publications/2023/Mar/Renewable-capacity-statistics-2023">20% a year for decades</a>. </p>
<p>Elimination of fossil fuels from the global economy is straightforward: electrify everything using clean electricity from solar and wind. This includes:</p>
<ul>
<li>electric vehicles replacing conventional vehicles </li>
<li>electric heat pumps replacing gas space and water heaters in homes and businesses</li>
<li>electric furnaces replacing gas burners in factories</li>
<li>electrolysis of water producing green hydrogen for the chemical industry, allowing for clean production of ammonia, metals, plastics and synthetic aviation fuel.</li>
</ul>
<p>To run our homes, industries and vehicles with electricity, we’ll need to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.119678">double electricity production</a>. Why not more? Because electricity is usually much more efficient at producing an energy outcome. For example, 85% of the petrol you put into your car is wasted as heat. </p>
<p>In countries with a significant chemical industry, electricity production might need to triple. </p>
<p>If these trends continue, by mid-century we will be in a very different – and better – energy world. </p>
<p>Many developing countries – including population giants such as Indonesia, India, China and Nigeria – could catch up with Europe or Australia for <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/energy?tab=table&facet=none&country=USA%7EGBR%7ECHN%7EOWID_WRL%7EIND%7EBRA%7EZAF&Total+or+Breakdown=Total&Energy+or+Electricity=Electricity+only&Metric=Annual+generation">per capita energy consumption</a>. Given electricity consumption is strongly correlated with affluence, access to cheap electricity will be a major boon for many nations. </p>
<h2>But is it possible?</h2>
<p>By 2050, Earth will have a population of about 10 billion people. To supply everyone with enough electricity to live a good life, we’ll need about 200 billion megawatt-hours per year (equal to 200,000 terawatt-hours per year). </p>
<p>Let’s assume that solar does the heavy lifting for decarbonisation, completing two-thirds of the task with the remaining one-third left to wind, hydro and everything else put together. Is it possible? </p>
<p>Yes. If sustained, solar’s growth rate of 20% per year is easily fast enough to reach 80 terawatts of installed capacity in 2050 – enough to provide 130,000 terawatt-hours per year and (with help from wind) to entirely decarbonise an affluent world. </p>
<p>That would see global electricity consumption reach 20 megawatt-hours per person per year – double Australia’s current consumption per person. </p>
<p>As well as eliminating most greenhouse emissions, we will also get rid of car exhausts, smokestacks, urban smog, coal mines, ash dumps, oil spills, oil-related warfare and gas fracking. </p>
<p>The main short-term bottlenecks are likely to be building enough transmission lines – and ensuring we have enough engineers and installers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="electricity use" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525527/original/file-20230511-22-u3n4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Current per capita electricity consumption in 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/energy?tab=table&amp%3Bfacet=none&amp%3Bcountry=USA~GBR~CHN~OWID_WRL~IND~BRA~ZAF&amp%3BTotal+or+Breakdown=Total&amp%3BEnergy+or+Electricity=Electricity+only&amp%3BMetric=Annual+generation">Our World in Data</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>We have the space and the raw materials</h2>
<p>Long term, there are practically no constraints on vast deployment of solar. </p>
<p>The sun will shine for billions more years. Raw materials for solar panels are abundant – silicon from sand and common metals like steel. There are no toxic metals or no critical materials like cobalt in them, and they are <a href="https://theconversation.com/really-australia-its-not-that-hard-10-reasons-why-renewable-energy-is-the-future-130459">highly recyclable</a>. Energy storage is now a <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-not-an-apologist-for-the-snowy-2-0-hydro-scheme-but-lets-not-obsess-over-the-delays-and-cost-blowouts-204915">solved problem</a>.</p>
<p>Most countries have vastly more solar and wind resources than needed to be energy self-sufficient. This, in turn, will boost their resilience in the face of war, pandemics and the changing climate. </p>
<p>Densely populated regions without much free land such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196890422000954">Japan</a>, Europe and the northeastern United States have enormous offshore wind resources, while <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/17/5424">Indonesia</a> and west Africa have enormous offshore solar resources – picture solar farms floating on calm tropical seas. </p>
<p>We have plenty of space. Eighty terawatts of solar translates to 8 kilowatts per person. This is the size of a typical Australian rooftop solar system, which is usually shared by a family rather than an individual. </p>
<p>The required area of solar panel is about five square metres per kilowatt (40 square metres total for 8 kilowatts). Some of the panels will be on house roofs. Others will be on ground-mounted solar trackers and operated alongside agriculture. Some <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/agrivoltaic-farming-solar-energy/">crops and grass</a> like the partial shade given by panels. Other options include floating on <a href="https://www.seris.nus.edu.sg/doc/publications/ESMAP_FloatingSolar_TEXT-A4-WEB.pdf">lakes and seas</a>. </p>
<p>For our energy intensive lives in Australia, we’ll need perhaps 15 kilowatts of solar and wind per person, which run reliably for 30 years and can then be dissembled and recycled. </p>
<p>In the 1950s, nuclear energy advocates talked of a future when energy was too cheap to meter. That didn’t happen with nuclear. But solar offers cheap, unlimited energy, available forever with minimal resource, environmental and social constraints.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204901/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Blakers receives funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and DFAT</span></em></p>Solar power is growing at 20% a year. That simple fact could change the world for the better in under a decadeAndrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1961312023-01-03T06:58:01Z2023-01-03T06:58:01ZWind turbines are already skyscraper-sized – is there any limit to how big they will get?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501585/original/file-20221216-24-fnwtnq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4048%2C2277&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fokke Baarssen / Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2023, some 100 miles off the coast of north-east England, the world’s largest wind turbines will start generating electricity. This first phase of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm development uses General Electric’s <a href="https://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine">Haliade X</a>, a turbine that stands more than a quarter of a kilometre high from the surface of the sea to the highest point of the blade tip.</p>
<p>If you placed one in London, it would be the third-tallest structure in the city, taller than One Canada Square in Canary Wharf and just 50 metres shorter than the Shard. Each of its three blades would be longer than Big Ben’s clock tower is tall. And Dogger Bank will eventually have nearly 300 of these giants.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Comparison of large wind turbine and famous buildings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501592/original/file-20221216-17-i1ei6x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=695&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Next up: an Eiffel-sized turbine?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/gerenewableenergy/photos/infographic-meet-ges-haliade-x-the-most-powerful-offshore-wind-turbine-in-the-wo/2169396046682917/">GE Renewable Energy / Facebook</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Just two decades have passed since the UK’s first proper offshore wind farm was built off the coast of north Wales. Its turbines were each able to produce 2 megawatts (MW) of electricity in ideal conditions – considered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/nov/20/1">huge at the time</a>. In contrast, the Haliade X is able to produce 13MW of electricity, and <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/10/10/siemens-gamesa-offshore-wind-turbine-prototype-breaks-24-hour-output-record/">15MW turbines</a> are only another year or two away. </p>
<p>So why are turbines increasing in size at such a rapid rate, and is there a limit to how big they can go? In short, the first answer is to reduce the cost of energy and the second is that there must be a limit – but nobody has put a number on it yet.</p>
<h2>Big turbines, cheap electricity</h2>
<p>Just five years ago, the offshore wind industry hoped to reduce its energy pricing to below <a href="https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/uk-offshore-wind-beats-100-mwh-goal-early-as-lcoe-plunges-by-32-/1-1-1209195">£100 per megawatt-hour by 2020</a> from new projects in UK waters. Even at that level, projects would still have relied on government subsidies to make them economically viable, compared with other types of electricity generation.</p>
<p>But in fact, costs quickly reduced to the extent that offshore wind farm developers were soon committing to selling their electricity at <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-auction-offshore-wind-cheaper-than-new-gas/">much lower prices</a>. Today, developers are building wind farms such as Dogger Bank where they have committed to prices below £50 per megawatt-hour. This makes offshore wind competitive with other forms of power generation, effectively removing the need for subsidy. </p>
<p>The major factor in reducing these costs was turbine size. Ever-larger turbines came to market faster than virtually everybody in the sector had expected. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of Dogger Bank offshore wind" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501589/original/file-20221216-16-xmp54h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dogger Bank is ideal for offshore wind as the water is very shallow. When complete, the project will power 6 million UK homes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doggerbank.com/">Dogger Bank Wind Farm</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Blades cannot spin too fast</h2>
<p>In theory, turbines can keep getting bigger. After all, a bigger blade extracts energy from the wind over a greater area as it rotates, which generates more electricity. </p>
<p>But there are some engineering constraints. One concerns erosion of the blades caused by them colliding with raindrops and sea spray. For current designs, the speed of the blade tips must be limited to 90 metres per second (which works out at just under 200mph) in order to avoid erosion. Therefore, as turbines get bigger and blades get longer, their rotors have to turn more slowly. </p>
<p>A consequence of having to slow the rotor down is that, to produce the same amount of power, the blades must deflect the wind to a greater extent. This results in greatly increased forces on the whole turbine. We can address these high forces, but only by increasing both turbine weight and cost. And that means the point at which the turbine becomes unprofitable – the point at which the extra cost is no longer worth it for the value of extra electricity generated – is reached much sooner than if the blade tips were allowed to go faster.</p>
<p>Also, as blades get longer they become more flexible. This makes it more difficult to keep the aerodynamics of the wind flow around them fully under control, and harder to ensure the blades do not strike the turbine tower under extreme wind conditions. </p>
<h2>Logistical constraints</h2>
<p>Engineering challenges like these can perhaps be solved in the longer term, though. This will mean that wind turbines are more likely to be limited in size by manufacturing, installation and operational issues, rather than any physical limit on the design of the turbine. </p>
<p>Just transporting blades and towers from factory to site and assembling the turbine when you get there presents huge challenges. Each of those Big Ben-sized blades must be shipped in one piece. This requires huge ports, giant vessels, and cranes that can operate safely and reliably far offshore. This is where the limit is most likely to come from. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Wind farm under construction" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501594/original/file-20221216-14-mxxe25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Needed: huge ships, ports and cranes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DJ Mattaar / Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You can see these limits in practice in the UK, which is <a href="https://theconversation.com/britain-is-only-just-beginning-to-exploit-its-vast-resources-of-offshore-wind-64134">surrounded by windy and shallow seas</a> that are perfect for generating energy. Despite this, the UK is likely to <a href="https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/rate-of-wind-turbine-installation-needs-to-be-tripled-for-uk-to-hit-2030-target-06-09-2022/">miss its ambitious target</a> to more than treble its offshore wind capacity by 2030.</p>
<p>This is not because of technology or lack of offshore sites. Rather, the industry will not be able to manufacture turbines quickly enough, and the port infrastructure and number of installation vessels, suitable cranes and workers with requisite skills is unlikely to be sufficient. </p>
<p>So if the UK is to maximise the benefit to its economy from what is, so far, a <a href="https://theconversation.com/britains-electricity-since-2010-wind-surges-to-second-place-coal-collapses-and-fossil-fuel-use-nearly-halves-129346">fantastic success story</a>, the focus now needs to switch from pure cost reduction to developing workers’ skills and the offshore wind supply chain.</p>
<p>Turbines will get bigger, I am sure, but I suspect at a slower rate than we have seen in recent years. And if the turbines are deployed 100 miles offshore, will anybody care? After all, the public will not be there to see them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-a-submerged-island-is-the-perfect-spot-for-the-worlds-biggest-wind-farm-37870">Why a submerged island is the perfect spot for the world's biggest wind farm</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Hogg is the Ørsted Professor in Renewable Energy at Durham University. Ørsted are a leading developer of offshore wind farms. Professor Hogg is Chair of the Energi Coast Innovation Group (<a href="https://energicoast.co.uk/">https://energicoast.co.uk/</a>). He has been awarded research funding for projects by offshore wind industry partners and by the UK government research council.</span></em></p>Meet the Canary Wharf-sized wind turbine with Big Ben-sized blades.Simon Hogg, Executive Director of the Durham Energy Institute, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1961032022-12-08T18:05:18Z2022-12-08T18:05:18ZHow do floating wind turbines work? 5 companies just won the first US leases for building them off California’s coast<p>Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/computing-america-s-offshore-wind-energy-potential">immense potential to produce clean energy</a>. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.</p>
<p>Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly the height of an 18-story building – these “monopile” structures are pretty much out of the question.</p>
<p>A solution has emerged that’s being tested in several locations around the world: wind turbines that float. </p>
<p>In California, where <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51839">drought has put pressure</a> on the hydropower supply, the state is <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/05/25/california-announces-historic-agreement-with-federal-partners-to-advance-offshore-wind-development/">moving forward on a plan</a> to develop the nation’s first floating offshore wind farms. On Dec. 7, 2022, the federal government auctioned off five lease areas about 20 miles off the California coast to companies with plans to develop floating wind farms. The bids were <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-sets-offshore-energy-records-437-billion-winning-bids-wind">lower than recent leases off the Atlantic coast</a>, where wind farms can be anchored to the seafloor, but still significant, together exceeding <a href="https://doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-winners-california-offshore-wind-energy-auction">US$757 million</a>.</p>
<p>So, how do floating wind farms work?</p>
<h2>Three main ways to float a turbine</h2>
<p>A floating wind turbine <a href="https://www.energy.gov/maps/how-does-wind-turbine-work">works just like other wind turbines</a> – wind pushes on the blades, causing the rotor to turn, which drives a generator that creates electricity. But instead of having its tower embedded directly into the ground or the seafloor, a floating wind turbine sits on a platform with mooring lines, such as chains or ropes, that connect to anchors in the seabed below.</p>
<p>These mooring lines hold the turbine in place against the wind and keep it connected to the cable that sends its electricity back to shore.</p>
<p>Most of the stability is provided by the floating platform itself. The trick is to design the platform so the turbine doesn’t tip too far in strong winds or storms.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration of each in an ocean, showing how lines anchor it to the seafloor." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408280/original/file-20210624-23-g5oqqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=562&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Three of the common types of floating wind turbine platform.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2020/nrel-floats-new-offshore-wind-cost-optimization-tool.html">Josh Bauer/NREL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are three main types of platforms:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A spar buoy platform is a long hollow cylinder that extends downward from the turbine tower. It floats vertically in deep water, weighted with ballast in the bottom of the cylinder to lower its center of gravity. It’s then anchored in place, but with slack lines that allow it to move with the water to avoid damage. Spar buoys have been <a href="https://www.rigzone.com/training/insight.asp?insight_id=307&c_id=">used by the oil and gas industry</a> for years for offshore operations.</p></li>
<li><p>Semisubmersible platforms have large floating hulls that spread out from the tower, also anchored to prevent drifting. Designers have been <a href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/two-headed-floating-offshore-wind-platform-passes-trials">experimenting with multiple turbines</a> on some of these hulls.</p></li>
<li><p>Tension leg platforms have smaller platforms with taut lines running straight to the floor below. These are <a href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1659806">lighter but more vulnerable</a> to earthquakes or tsunamis because they rely more on the mooring lines and anchors for stability.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Each platform must support the weight of the turbine and remain stable while the turbine operates. It can do this in part because the hollow platform, often made of large steel or concrete structures, provides buoyancy to support the turbine. Since some can be fully assembled in port and towed out for installation, they might be <a href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1659806">far cheaper</a> than fixed-bottom structures, which <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-just-set-ambitious-offshore-wind-power-targets-what-will-it-take-to-meet-them-158136">require specialty vessels</a> for installation on site.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People stand next to a small wind turbine held by a crane. Just the base is three times higher than a human." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411059/original/file-20210713-17-21i31p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The University of Maine has been experimenting with a small floating wind turbine, about one-eighth scale, on a semisubmersible platform with RWE, one of the winning bidders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/FloatingWindTurbine/ea8d528e4f91442c99918e5b7e0388cb/photo">AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Floating platforms can support wind turbines that can produce 10 megawatts or more of power – that’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ref.2020.03.002">similar in size to other offshore wind turbines</a> and several times larger than the capacity of a typical onshore wind turbine you might see in a field.</p>
<h2>Why do we need floating turbines?</h2>
<p>Some of the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/computing-america-s-offshore-wind-energy-potential">strongest wind resources</a> are away from shore in locations with hundreds of feet of water below, such as off the U.S. West Coast, the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Japan.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map showing offshore wind potential" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408278/original/file-20210624-21-uyv33f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some of the strongest offshore wind power potential in the U.S. is in areas where the water is too deep for fixed turbines, including off the West Coast.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/computing-america-s-offshore-wind-energy-potential">NREL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The U.S. lease areas auctioned off in early December cover about <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/21/2022-22871/pacific-wind-lease-sale-1-pacw-1-for-commercial-leasing-for-wind-power-on-the-outer-continental">583 square miles</a> in two regions – one off central California’s Morro Bay and the other near the Oregon state line. The water off California gets deep quickly, so any wind farm that is even a few miles from shore will require floating turbines. </p>
<p>Once built, wind farms in those five areas could provide about 4.6 gigawatts of clean electricity, <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-first-ever-offshore-wind-lease-sale-pacific">enough to power 1.5 million homes</a>, according to government estimates. The winning companies suggested they could <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/12/07/california-lease-sale-winners-are-rwe-equinor-cip-ocean-winds-and-invenergy-floating-wind-farm-capacities-higher-than-initially-estimated/">produce even more power</a>.</p>
<p>But getting actual wind turbines on the water will take time. The winners of the lease auction will undergo a Justice Department anti-trust review and then a long planning, permitting and environmental review process that typically takes several years.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Maps showing the locations off Moro Bay, north of Santa Barbara, and Eureka, near the Oregon border." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=771&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=771&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=771&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=968&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=968&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499372/original/file-20221206-16005-wz1k2y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=968&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The first five federal lease areas for Pacific coast offshore wind energy development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/state-activities/CA%20FSN%20Lease%20Area%20Maps.pdf">Bureau of Ocean Energy Management</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>Globally, several full-scale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. The <a href="https://us.orsted.com/wind-projects">Hywind Scotland project</a> became the first commercial-scale offshore floating wind farm in 2017, with five 6-megawatt turbines supported by spar buoys designed by the <a href="https://www.equinor.com/energy/floating-wind">Norwegian energy company Equinor</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.equinor.com/news/20221207-lease-california-floating-offshore-wind">Equinor Wind US</a> had one of the winning bids off Central California. Another winning bidder was <a href="https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-renewables/2022-12-07-california-offshore-auction">RWE Offshore Wind Holdings</a>. RWE operates wind farms in Europe and has <a href="https://www.rwe.com/en/research-and-development/wind-power/floating-offshore-wind#projects">three floating wind turbine demonstration projects</a>. The other companies involved – <a href="https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/copenhagen-infrastructure-partners-announced-as-provisional-winner-of-lease-area-in-california-offshore-auction?publisherId=4954260&releaseId=17949593">Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners</a>, Invenergy and <a href="https://www.oceanwinds.com/news/uncategorized/golden-state-wind-a-joint-venture-of-ocean-winds-and-cpp-investments-wins-2-gw-california-wind-energy-lease/">Ocean Winds</a> – have Atlantic Coast leases or existing offshore wind farms. </p>
<p>While floating offshore wind farms are becoming a commercial technology, there are still technical challenges that need to be solved. The platform motion may cause higher forces on the blades and tower, and more complicated and unsteady aerodynamics. Also, as water depths get very deep, the cost of the mooring lines, anchors and electrical cabling may become very high, so cheaper but still reliable technologies will be needed.</p>
<p>But we can expect to see more offshore turbines supported by floating structures in the near future.</p>
<p><em>This article was updated with the first lease sale.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196103/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Lackner receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.</span></em></p>Some of the most powerful offshore wind is over water too deep for a standard wind turbine. Engineers found a way around the problem.Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932122022-10-25T19:03:32Z2022-10-25T19:03:32ZAustralia is poised to be a world leader in offshore wind, but any potential risks to marine life remain poorly regulated<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491530/original/file-20221025-17-bzssus.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C20%2C4473%2C2970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The strong winds blowing over Australia’s rugged coastlines will soon power many of our homes, as offshore wind farms are poised to begin construction. But our <a href="https://www.ogel.org/journal-advance-publication-article.asp?key=728">new research</a> highlights the need to ensure any potential risks to marine life is properly mitigated. </p>
<p>The federal government has recently made a string of announcements as part of its A$20 billion <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/rewiring-nation-supercharge-victorian-renewables">Rewiring the Nation Plan</a>, ahead of last night’s federal budget. This includes $1.5 billion to fast-track the development of offshore wind farms and renewable energy zones in Victoria, as well as funding for the Marinus link (an electricity cable connecting Tasmania and Victoria), and pumped hydro developments.</p>
<p>By embracing what the energy world calls the “<a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/news/news-releases/2021/offshore-wind-presents-energy-advantages-as-part-of-growing-australian-blue-economy">big three</a>” – offshore wind, solar power and onshore wind power – Australia’s renewable energy exports alone could be worth <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/labors-climate-bill-must-be-a-springboard-for-action/#:%7E:text=The%20economic%20opportunities%20for%20a,Australia's%20existing%20fossil%20fuel%20exports.">$333 billion</a> each year. That’s almost triple what we currently get from fossil fuels. </p>
<p>Our research calls for Australia to put marine spatial planning processes into offshore wind regulation. This considers how infrastructure and ecosystems can co-locate, by mapping out the best sites for generating the most electricity with the least environmental impact.</p>
<p>With effective regulation, Australia’s offshore wind industry can be a leader in ecologically sustainable development.</p>
<h2>Why is offshore wind important?</h2>
<p>Over the past decade, the costs to build offshore wind infrastructure have <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-3/">decreased by 50%</a> worldwide. It is poised to become a key ingredient in Australia’s energy mix, as the <a href="https://gwec.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Annual-Wind-Report-2022_screen_final_April.pdf">Global Wind Energy Council</a> estimates a massive 4,963 gigawatts of offshore wind potential in Australia.</p>
<p>In fact, if all of Australia’s proposed offshore wind projects were built, their combined energy capacity would be <a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">greater than</a> all Australia’s coal-fired power stations. </p>
<p>Victoria is leading the way with a target of reaching 2 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2032, and 9 gigawatts by 2040. This means some <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/australia-needs-more-offshore-wind-projects-to-lure-suppliers-20220922-p5bk6x">20% of Victoria’s energy mix</a> will come from clean, affordable and reliable offshore wind within the next ten years.</p>
<p><a href="https://arena.gov.au/renewable-energy/wind/">Despite our rich wind resources</a>, there is currently no large-scale offshore wind project operating in Australia, due to a lack of legal framework <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021A00120">that commenced operation in 2022</a>. Australia also does not currently hold a federal offshore wind target. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Wind turbine under construction" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491531/original/file-20221025-11-eyhnws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Underwater noise during the construction of offshore wind turbines can displace marine animals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Australia’s lack of regulation</h2>
<p>Australia has lack of clear offshore renewable energy planning goals. This has led the <a href="https://gwec.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Annual-Wind-Report-2022_screen_final_April.pdf">Global Wind Energy Council </a> to call for “a clear, transparent, and streamlined leasing and permitting process” in Australia. </p>
<p>The environmental protections currently in place are generic and need greater refinement on the needs of offshore wind. </p>
<p>Before an Australian offshore wind project can start and be granted a commercial licence, the developer must make several important assessments and proposals, including a <a href="https://www.nopsema.gov.au/offshore-renewable-energy">management plan</a>, to the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar.</p>
<p>This management plan must adhere to Australia’s national environment law, which is designed to promote ecologically sustainable development. </p>
<p>Yet, Australia’s environment law – called the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021C00182">Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act</a> – has been widely criticised for failing to achieve this aim, particularly following a major <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-excoriated-australias-environment-laws-sussan-leys-response-is-confused-and-risky-154254">independent review</a> in 2021. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-excoriated-australias-environment-laws-sussan-leys-response-is-confused-and-risky-154254">A major report excoriated Australia's environment laws. Sussan Ley's response is confused and risky</a>
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<h2>How offshore wind farms can impact marine life</h2>
<p>Marine spatial planning can provide clear ecological, social and environmental conservation objectives, while mapping important ecological zones to protect. </p>
<p>Research is still emerging on the extent offshore wind farms may impact marine ecosystems. A <a href="https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-icm/products/etc-icm-reports/etc-icm-report-2-2022-mapping-potential-environmental-impacts-of-offshore-renewable-energy">European Environment Agency</a> report this year points to a few potential impacts, although these are documented in Europe rather than Australia. </p>
<p>This includes underwater noise during construction, which can displace some species, cause auditory injury to nearby mammals and fish, and interfere with the echolocation of animals such as porpoises.</p>
<p>Research has also shown that during operation, some seabird species became either displaced or attracted to the turbines (though collision rates are low).</p>
<p>On the other hand, depending on its design, offshore wind turbines can provide habitat for some marine species, such as with artificial reefs on their foundations.</p>
<p>These pressures can be managed by effective marine spatial planning. Australia holds marine spatial planning processes for other areas, such as the <a href="https://www.sprep.org/attachments/Publications/articles/marine-spactial-planning-great-barrier-reef.pdf">Great Barrier Reef Marine Park</a> and parts of <a href="https://www.marineandcoasts.vic.gov.au/marine/marine-spatial-planning">Victoria</a>. </p>
<p>But we are yet to create any requirements for them in the legal framework for offshore wind at the federal level. </p>
<h2>Countries doing it better than us</h2>
<p>Several countries have enacted marine spatial planning policies and regulations for their offshore wind sectors. </p>
<p><a href="https://maritime-spatial-planning.ec.europa.eu/">The European Union</a> has led the way, as 22 <a href="https://maritime-spatial-planning.ec.europa.eu/msp-practice/countries">coastal member states</a> have adopted marine spatial planning processes. This strong policy framework has enabled the EU to reach 28.4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity while ensuring environmental protections <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0089&from=EN">are in place</a>. </p>
<p>The Netherlands have an ambitious offshore wind target of 70 gigawatts by 2050. This is double what the entire EU <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/09/19/the-netherlands-sets-70-gw-offshore-wind-target-for-2050-plans-large-scale-green-hydrogen-production-and-energy-hubs/#:%7E:text=The%20Dutch%20Government%20has%20set,could%20be%20installed%20by%202040.">has already installed</a>. </p>
<p>The Netherlands is using marine spatial planning to sustainably meet this target. It is supported by the Dutch Ecological Offshore Wind Energy Programme, which is generating <a href="https://www.noordzeeloket.nl/functies-gebruik/windenergie/ecologie/wind-zee-ecologisch-programma-wozep/newsletter-wozep/wozep-newsletter-1/wozep-research/#:%7E:text=Sitemap-,Wozep%20research%20programme%20investigates%20the%20ecological%20impact%20of%20offshore%20wind,develop%20the%20appropriate%20mitigation%20measures">baseline scientific knowledge</a> about how to protect sensitive marine environments in assessments determining new project sites. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds</a>
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<h2>One piece of the puzzle</h2>
<p>Marine spatial planning is crucial for integrating offshore wind with other ways we use the ocean, such as for fishing and preserving traditional Sea Country. At the same time, it should preserve ecosystems and promote energy justice, where all members of society are granted access to clean energy. Marine spatial planning can strike this balance. </p>
<p>Formulating marine spatial planning objectives in consultation with the offshore wind industry, communities, and other stakeholders is crucial to ensure its success, and building an equitable ocean economy.</p>
<p><a href="https://powerup.climatecouncil.org.au/">Much more must be done</a> to ensure we continue a successful transition away from fossil fuels and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Offshore wind is just one, exciting piece of the puzzle. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-ways-the-albanese-government-can-turn-australia-into-a-renewable-energy-superpower-without-leaving-anyone-behind-183640">3 ways the Albanese government can turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower – without leaving anyone behind</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193212/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Madeline Taylor has received funding from ACOLA and the AIEN. She is a Climate Councillor for the Climate Council and is on the Management Committee for RE-Alliance. The author would like to acknowledge Riley Taylor and his co-authorship of the research produced.</span></em></p>Australia must map out the best sites for generating the most electricity with the least environmental impact.Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888112022-08-17T20:04:58Z2022-08-17T20:04:58ZTo hit 82% renewables in 8 years, we need skilled workers – and labour markets are already overstretched<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479549/original/file-20220817-12-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C2800%2C1856&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Evgeniy Alyoshin/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In just eight years time, the Labor government wants Australia to be 82% powered by renewable energy. That means a rapid, historic shift, given only 24% of our power was supplied by renewables as of <a href="https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/taylor/media-releases/2021-australian-energy-statistics-electricity#:%7E:text=The%202021%20Australian%20Energy%20Statistics,21%20per%20cent%20in%202019.">last year</a>. </p>
<p>To make this happen, we must rapidly scale up our renewable energy construction workforce. Last week’s <a href="https://www.energy.gov.au/government-priorities/energy-ministers/meetings-and-communiques">energy ministers’ meeting</a> calls for assessment of the “workforce, supply chain and community needs” for the energy transition. The government’s jobs and skills summit in early September will tackle the issue too. While it’s positive the government is focused on these challenges, the reality is we’re playing catch-up. </p>
<p>Why? Because Australia is already stretched for workers, and it takes time to give new ones the skills they will need. <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/market-capacity-electricity-infrastructure">Our research</a> estimates the renewable energy transition will need up to 30,000 workers in coming years to build enough solar farms, wind farms, batteries, transmission lines and pumped hydro storage to transform our energy system. Most of these jobs will be in regional areas.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-renewable-target-is-much-more-ambitious-than-it-seems-we-need-the-best-bang-for-buck-policy-responses-186302">Labor’s renewable target is much more ambitious than it seems. We need the best bang-for-buck policy responses</a>
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<p>In coming decades, Australia will invest around A$66 billion in large-scale renewables and $27 billion in rooftop solar and battery storage. This creates openings for industry development like the $7.4 billion market opportunity for an <a href="https://fbicrc.com.au/australias-7-4-billion-opportunity-in-future-battery-industries/">integrated battery supply chain</a> and manufacturing which builds on our strengths, such as <a href="https://fbicrc.com.au/australias-7-4-billion-opportunity-in-future-battery-industries/">wind towers</a>. </p>
<p>If we get this right, we can create new manufacturing and supply chain jobs and reverse the long drift of these jobs overseas. But if we get it wrong, skill shortages could derail the vision of a new energy system by 2030. </p>
<h2>What jobs will we need and where?</h2>
<p>Much of the debate on the energy transition to date has focused on technical challenges like integrating renewable energy into the grid. </p>
<p>But as a <a href="https://www.csq.org.au/renewables/#">new report</a> from Construction Skills Queensland points out: “The biggest challenge in delivering the (renewable energy) boom could be the scale of the construction workforce required.”</p>
<p>Across the eastern states in the National Energy Market, the construction workforce needs to scale up rapidly to build wind and solar farms, rooftop solar, battery storage and transmission lines throughout the 2020s. As the volume of renewable energy grows, our modelling finds the share of operations and maintenance jobs will increase, making up around 50% of all jobs by 2035 based on the Australian Energy Market Operator’s <a href="https://aemo.com.au/en/energy-systems/major-publications/integrated-system-plan-isp/2020-integrated-system-plan-isp">roadmap</a> for the energy system. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=223&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=223&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479335/original/file-20220816-16-6grk0p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=223&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This figure shows the numbers of jobs needed by technology and type, transmission construction, electricity generation and storage under a 2021-2035 step change scenario.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AEMO 2020 Integrated System Plan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Notably, our projections include very few jobs in manufacturing. That’s because at present, most renewables manufacturing is done offshore. But as the country which pioneered <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-09-19/solar-panels-why-australia-stopped-making-them-china/100466342">key solar technologies</a>, we could harness these investments to build local production.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/historic-new-deal-puts-emissions-reduction-at-the-heart-of-australias-energy-sector-188296">Historic new deal puts emissions reduction at the heart of Australia's energy sector</a>
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<h2>Skill shortages could cripple the renewables boom</h2>
<p>While it sounds simple in theory, the hard part is making this a reality. How can we best scale up the construction workforce in regional areas? How can we best leverage public and private clean energy investment to increase local manufacturing jobs? </p>
<p>It’s going to be a challenge. That’s because we are already facing widespread skill shortages in key jobs such as engineers, electricians and transmission lineworkers.</p>
<p>Australia is in the midst of an <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/2021-infrastructure-market-capacity-report">“unprecedented” boom</a> in infrastructure. Think of the huge transport projects like <a href="https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/">inland rail</a> and metro projects in major cities. </p>
<p>Our regions are already struggling to supply workers for these projects. Infrastructure Australia has <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/publications/2021-infrastructure-market-capacity-report">projected</a> a shortage of 41,000 engineers and 15,000 trades in the next few years. This is a real worry for the renewables industry. Where will the new workforce come from? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="windfarm building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479553/original/file-20220817-12-mex1o8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The fuel is free - but building renewables needs skilled workers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the labour market tightens, there’s a risk skill shortages will become a constraint on construction timetables. There are industry reports of bidding wars as companies vie to secure skilled workers by offering higher wages. That’s great for the workers with the skills, but it also speaks to the fact the pool of skilled people is too small – even before we launch this major transition. </p>
<p>People in many regional communities are concerned the renewable boom could follow the mining boom with a reliance on fly-in, fly-out workers. This approach overheats local economies and housing and ultimately leaves little benefit, as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-03/barnaby-joyce-port-hedland-growth-pilbara-economy-fifo-jobs/101016816">towns like Karratha</a> have found. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Road sign karratha" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/479554/original/file-20220817-14-wtiwro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Regional towns like Karratha have found the mining boom a mixed blessing. We need to tackle this to make sure the renewable boom has lasting impact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>What do we need to do?</h2>
<p>Governments will need to roll out regional programs to increase the size of this workforce, by creating direct training pathways to help school leavers get into the renewables sector. This can slow the well known “youth drain” of country kids to the cities. </p>
<p>Specific programs <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-aboriginal-communities-be-part-of-the-nsw-renewable-energy-transition-181171">could also help</a> First Nations people in remote areas into jobs <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-21/aboriginal-owned-solar-farm-completed-by-2022/100473610">close to their communities</a> such as in <a href="https://esdnews.com.au/bomen-solar-farm-helps-locals-get-back-into-workforce/">best-practice solar farms</a> and transmission projects. </p>
<p>We’ll also need urgent investment in regional training facilities, courses and apprenticeships. </p>
<p>While the federal government has committed to fund <a href="https://www.alp.org.au/policies/new-energy-apprenticeships">energy apprentices</a>, we will also need more industry-government partnerships like the pioneering <a href="https://www.skills.tas.gov.au/about/current_projects/energising_tasmania">Energising Tasmania</a> initiative to train and redeploy new and existing workers backed by government support.</p>
<p>And we will also need skilled migration as part of the solution. That’s because the regions cannot supply the full scale of the workforce required and time is short. But regional communities will want to see programs encouraging workers and businesses to put down roots. If renewables become another FIFO-boom, we risk community backlash. </p>
<p>While the government has many other things to juggle, this is a big one. Without skilled workers, we won’t reach the goal of transforming our energy system by 2030. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-an-aussie-invention-could-soon-cut-5-of-the-worlds-greenhouse-gas-emissions-121571">How an Aussie invention could soon cut 5% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The article draws on research undertaken by the Institute for Sustainable Future which has been commissioned by the Clean Energy Council, Infrastructure Australia and the NSW Renewable Energy Sector Board. ISF is currently undertaking research on renewable and skills for the NSW Department of Education and Training and EnergyCo.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This article draws on research undertaken by the Institute for Sustainable Future which has been commissioned by the Clean Energy Council, Infrastructure Australia and the NSW Renewable Energy Sector Board. ISF is currently undertaking research on renewable energy and skills for the NSW Department of Education and Training and EnergyCo.</span></em></p>Australia is already in the grip of a skills shortage. We’re going to have to solve that before we can start on the big renewables build.Chris Briggs, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyRusty Langdon, Research Consultant, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1877532022-08-10T12:16:55Z2022-08-10T12:16:55ZBoosting renewable energy use can happen quickly – and reduce harm to low-income people if done thoughtfully<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476145/original/file-20220726-6081-54st2k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Offshore wind farms will assist in the renewable energy transition and offset the effects of climate change. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/offshore-wind-turbines-at-sunrise-seen-from-an-royalty-free-image/1321503681">Abstract Aerial Art/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>With many nations making efforts to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, <a href="https://www.sciline.org/energy/transition-renewable/">SciLine</a> interviewed <a href="https://mie.umass.edu/faculty/erin-baker">Erin Baker</a>, a professor of industrial engineering and operations at UMass Amherst. Baker discussed the technological, political and regulatory efforts needed for this transition, as well as ways that our fossil fuel-dependent system disproportionately harms poor communities and communities of color.</em></p>
<iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/722591750?h=ca4aa4c6a8" width="100%" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p><em>The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, which have been edited for brevity and clarity.</em></p>
<p><strong>How is our country doing at making the transition to renewable energy?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> There has been amazing technological change over the past 15 years. Offshore wind <a href="https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2021/">costs 50% less</a> than it did six years ago. <a href="https://doi.org/10.7799/1829310">Solar has had</a> a sixfold decrease in costs since 2010. And I think there’s a lot of evidence that technology will adapt and improve if we set the goals and incentives for it. </p>
<p>In terms of policy and regulations, we are moving forward, but we need to be more aggressive. Something that we’re missing and that would be really helpful would be a coherent, federal-level climate policy – whether that is regulatory policy, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act">such as we have for pollution</a>, <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/pricing-carbon">or a carbon tax or some kind of a cap</a>. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/climate/biden-climate-deal-key-provisions.html">Inflation Reduction Act</a> would be a fantastic starting point if it becomes law.</p>
<p>A good example of something that has been done is <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-advances-offshore-wind-energy-leasing-atlantic-and-pacific">President Biden’s move</a> to coordinate and streamline the federal approval process for offshore wind. There are seven federal agencies involved, and having them all separate and moving at their own pace was really difficult for offshore wind energy developers. So Biden has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">coordinated that</a>, and that’s fantastic. But there are tens of local and state-level agencies and processes that developers still have to go through. It would be really great if we could figure out ways to coordinate and streamline those.</p>
<p><strong>How does our current energy system disproportionately harm poor communities and communities of color?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> Unfortunately, in a lot of different ways. Polluting facilities tend to be located disproportionally in areas that are <a href="https://naacp.org/resources/coal-blooded-putting-profits-people">low income and home to people of color</a>, which can lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2019.1633992">negative health outcomes</a>. Also, in the Texas blackout last winter that <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/01/04/246-texans-died-february-freeze-and-power-loss-officials-say/9080688002/">killed around 250 people</a>, some research done by my colleague Jay Teneja showed that the <a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/case-study/frozen-out-in-texas-blackouts-and-inequity/">long blackouts were four times</a> as likely in communities of color as in predominantly white communities. And, unfortunately, the energy transition won’t necessarily be any more equitable.</p>
<p>For example, it’s common for states to subsidize rooftop solar. And this is good, but the people who get the subsidies are people who own roofs with sun shining on them. People who live in apartments and in cities don’t have access to this, and yet they’re paying for the subsidies. We take the money for the subsidies from everyone, including low-income people, and send them mostly to white, wealthy suburbs. </p>
<p><strong>How can injustices in our energy system be rectified?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> There’s obviously no one solution, but there are a couple of categories of things we can do. One thing that would be really helpful would be to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2021.0375">collect data</a>. We have very little data about energy equity issues.</p>
<p>We also need to involve and listen to the traditionally marginalized communities that are most affected by the inequities.</p>
<p><strong>What do you think of the federal and state targets set for offshore wind?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> The Biden administration set a target for <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-advances-offshore-wind-energy-leasing-atlantic-and-pacific">30 gigawatts by 2030</a>. That’s an ambitious goal, since in 2019 the entire world had only 30 GW. But it’s growing rapidly, with global capacity at an astounding <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/476327/global-capacity-of-offshore-wind-energy/">56 GW</a>.</p>
<p>Having this goal of 30 gigawatts helps to organize the supply chain – all the pieces that need to get done for this to happen. We need people who know how to install offshore wind farms. We need special ships. We need planning for transmission. Having these goals really helps to organize all that and make sure all these pieces are in place.</p>
<p><strong>What are the environmental costs and benefits of offshore wind?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> Offshore wind is a really promising technology. The ocean has really good wind resources. And it’s near population centers – we have lots of cities up and down the coasts. Because wind energy is carbon-free, it will provide benefits by reducing emissions and reducing costs.</p>
<p>Some of the work I’ve done has shown that there are <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7667/meta">billions, and maybe even trillions</a>, of dollars of climate value in offshore wind. We lose between US$10 million and $150 million per year per wind farm by delaying them. We really want to keep these large global environmental benefits in mind as we plan. These can be balanced against local environmental costs and benefits, as well as other factors, like jobs. </p>
<p>In terms of local environmental benefits, when you build an offshore wind farm, the stuff underneath the water ends up creating an <a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.405">artificial reef</a> and actually increasing sea life in that area, which is a benefit. </p>
<p>Negatively, they interfere with bird migrations. Birds don’t actually fly into the wind turbines <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.973483">that much</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.973483">They fly around them</a>. But if there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.973483">a lot of wind farms</a>, that’s a lot of flying around, and that can be hard on the birds. And some animals, like right whales, can get <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105611">caught in mooring lines if we have floating wind turbines</a>. So, there are local environmental costs. What we need to do is balance these with the global benefits from addressing climate change.</p>
<p><strong>Are you hopeful about our ability to address climate change?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Erin Baker:</strong> I am optimistic that we can solve climate change, because humans are very inventive. My work on technological change has shown that once we have a goal or incentive, we tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00810-z">improve technologies much faster than we ever predicted</a>. So I think we can be ambitious. We can aim for net-zero by 2030 instead of 2050. And we can solve climate change while at the same time stimulating innovation, fueling growth and increasing quality of life. But we have to set these goals. To access the benefits of the energy transition, we really need to act boldly and decisively.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.sciline.org/energy/transition-renewable/">Watch the full interview</a> to hear more about what’s required for a just, renewable energy transition.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.sciline.org/">SciLine</a> is a free service based at the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science that helps journalists include scientific evidence and experts in their news stories.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187753/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Baker receives funding from NSF and Sloan Foundation. </span></em></p>While a US transition to renewable energy by 2030 is possible, streamlined policies with clear goals and incentives are necessary to get there, says an industrial engineering professor.Erin Baker, Professor of Industrial Engineering Applied to Energy Policy, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1836402022-05-27T06:03:02Z2022-05-27T06:03:02Z3 ways the Albanese government can turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower – without leaving anyone behind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465619/original/file-20220527-12-qism61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C11%2C3976%2C1988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians will bear yet <a href="https://theconversation.com/expect-more-power-price-hikes-a-1970s-style-energy-shock-is-on-the-cards-183911">another blow</a> to our cost of living in July when electricity prices will surge up to 18.3%, which amounts to over <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/benchmark-power-prices-electricity-bills-to-soar-australia/101098128">A$250 per year</a> in some cases. </p>
<p>This is partly due to geopolitical tensions driving up the cost of generating electricity from coal and gas – costs that are increasingly volatile – leading the <a href="https://www.aer.gov.au/news-release/aer-sets-energy-price-cap-to-protect-consumers">Australian Energy Regulator</a> to increase its so-called “default market offers” for electricity retailers in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. </p>
<p>If the Albanese government ever needed another reason to turbocharge its efforts on renewable energy and storage, this is it. </p>
<p>Investing in renewables, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean industries will not only lower power prices, but will also lower emissions, increase our self-sufficiency, create new jobs, and protect us from international price shocks like we’re seeing now. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/expect-more-power-price-hikes-a-1970s-style-energy-shock-is-on-the-cards-183911">Expect more power price hikes – a 1970s-style energy shock is on the cards</a>
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<p>Fortunately, the Albanese government has a strong mandate for game-changing <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-the-major-parties-rate-on-climate-policies-we-asked-5-experts-181790">climate action</a> this decade. The government aims for renewable energy to make up <a href="https://keystone-alp.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/prod/61a9693a3f3c53001f975017-PoweringAustralia.pdf">over 80% of</a> Australia’s electricity mix by 2030, but its pledge of $20 billion for new transmission infrastructure means we can aim higher and go faster. </p>
<p>Holding us back, however, is continued investment in the coal industry. Indeed, doubling down on fossil fuels right now would be extraordinarily reckless from a security perspective – as the United Nations climate envoy <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/11/do-not-use-ukraine-war-to-defer-climate-goals-warns-mark-carney-energy-crisis">pointed out</a> this month, “no one owns the wind or the sun”. </p>
<p>So how can Australia transform into a renewable energy powerhouse? Here are three important ways the Albanese government can meet its ambition swiftly and justly. </p>
<h2>1. Energy justice with community energy</h2>
<p>Communities must be placed at the heart of the energy transition if we’re to see <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032121012016">energy justice</a> in Australia.
Energy justice is when <a href="https://irena.org/publications/2021/Nov/Community-Energy-Toolkit-Best-practices-for-broadening-the-ownership-of-renewables">all members of society</a> are granted access to clean energy, particularly disadvantaged communities such as those without housing security. </p>
<p>One way to make this happen is with community-owned renewable energy and storage, such as wind energy co-operatives. For example, the <a href="https://www.hepburnwind.com.au/">Hepburn Wind Co-operative</a> is a 4.1 megawatt wind farm owned by more than 2,000 community shareholders. Another example is community-owned social enterprise electricity retailers such as <a href="https://www.enovaenergy.com.au/">Enova</a>, which has more than 1,600 community shareholders.</p>
<p>Labor has made a great start. Its <a href="https://keystone-alp.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/prod/61a966013f3c53001f975016-REPUTEX_The%20economic%20impact%20of%20the%20ALP's%20Powering%20Australia%20Plan_Summary%20Report.pdf">Powering Australia</a> plan pledges to install 400 community batteries and develop shared solar banks to give renters, people in apartments, and people who can’t afford upfront installation costs access to solar energy. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/farmers-shouldnt-have-to-compete-with-solar-companies-for-land-we-need-better-policies-so-everyone-can-benefit-173333">Farmers shouldn't have to compete with solar companies for land. We need better policies so everyone can benefit</a>
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<p>The next step should be a rapid roll out of a federal community solar scheme, similar to a program in the United States. The <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/community-solar-basics">US Community Solar scheme</a> is backed by legislation to create a third-party market for communities. It allows communities to own solar panels or a portion of a solar project, or to buy renewable energy with a subscription. </p>
<p>This means lower socio-economic households can benefit from clean, reliable and cheaper electricity from solar when they’re not able to put panels on their rooftop. </p>
<p>Australia needs a dedicated national policy or government body that builds on the work of other bodies, such as the <a href="https://c4ce.net.au/strategic-initiatives/">Coalition for Community Energy</a>, to govern community-based energy and enshrine the principles of energy justice.</p>
<h2>2. Rapid uptake of offshore wind</h2>
<p>Offshore wind farms represent a key opportunity for Australia’s decarbonisation – the combined capacity of all proposed offshore wind projects <a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">would be greater</a> than all Australia’s coal-fired power plants. </p>
<p>But Australia’s offshore wind industry is only in its infancy. And while Labor’s Powering Australia plan targets manufacturing <a href="https://keystone-alp.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/prod/61a9693a3f3c53001f975017-PoweringAustralia.pdf">wind turbine components</a>, it lacks policy ambition for offshore wind. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/what-is-renewable-energy-zone/">Renewable Energy Zones</a> (a bit like the renewables equivalent of a power station) are currently being rolled out Australia wide. These should encompass offshore wind zones to encourage the rapid uptake of this vast energy source. </p>
<p>For example, in February, the Renewable Energy Zone in the <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/100-billion-of-investment-potential-for-hunter-central-coast-renewable-energy-zone">Hunter-Central Coast</a> region had seven offshore wind proposals and attracted over $100 billion in investment. Potential renewable energy projects in this region represent over 100,000 gigawatt hours of energy – the same as the annual output of <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/100-billion-investment-potential-for-hunter-central-coast-renewable-energy-zone">ten coal-fired power stations</a>. </p>
<p>The federal government should also set an offshore wind target to accelerate uptake. Victoria, for instance, recently announced <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victoria-launches-australias-first-offshore-wind-targets">a target</a> of 2 gigawatts installed by 2032, 4 gigawatts by 2035, and 9 gigawatts by 2040. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465625/original/file-20220527-16-tn6xzn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The federal government should also set an offshore wind target.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Similarly, the United Kingdom recently increased its offshore wind target to <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/04/07/uk-to-raise-2030-offshore-wind-target-to-50-gw-slash-project-approval-times/#:%7E:text=Advertisement-,UK%20to%20Raise%202030%20Offshore%20Wind%20Target,GW%2C%20Slash%20Project%20Approval%20Times&text=UK%20Prime%20Minister%20Boris%20Johnson,offshore%20wind%20capacity%20by%202030.">50 gigawatts</a> by 2030 – the equivalent to powering <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-acceleration-of-homegrown-power-in-britains-plan-for-greater-energy-independence">every household </a> in the nation, according to the UK government. </p>
<p>Despite its potential, Australia only introduced <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-first-offshore-wind-farm-bill-was-a-long-time-coming-but-here-are-4-reasons-its-not-up-to-scratch-yet-167196">federal legislative framework</a> for offshore wind last year – and it needs work. For example, the legislation doesn’t incorporate <a href="https://maritime-spatial-planning.ec.europa.eu/sector-information/offshore-wind-energy#:%7E:text=However%2C%20maritime%20spatial%20planning%20is,is%20supported%20by%20national%20policy.">marine spatial planning</a>, which is a process of coordinating sectors that rely on the ocean, such as marine conservation, the fishing industry, and the government. </p>
<h2>3. Just transitions for coal communities</h2>
<p>The Australian Energy Market Operator <a href="https://aemo.com.au/newsroom/media-release/2021-esoo#:%7E:text=%E2%80%9CBy%202025%2C%20there%20will%20be,and%20affordable%20energy%20to%20consumers.">says</a> the National Electricity Market could be 100% powered by renewables by 2025. Further closures of aging and unreliable coal-fired power stations are inevitable. </p>
<p>The government must not leave carbon-intensive regions <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-next-government-must-start-talking-about-a-just-transition-from-coal-heres-where-to-begin-181707">behind</a> in the transition to new clean industries. If we do this right, generations of Australians could be working in renewable energy, clean manufacturing, renewable hydrogen, and the extraction of critical minerals. </p>
<p>Creating a national coal commission could help produce a roadmap away from fossil fuels, and seize on the opportunity to <a href="https://keystone-alp.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/prod/61a9693a3f3c53001f975017-PoweringAustralia.pdf">create clean jobs</a>. This is being done <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-transition-from-coal-4-lessons-for-australia-from-around-the-world-115558">in Germany</a>, where a government-appointed coal commission consulted unions, coal regions, local communities and more to develop a pathway to transition the coal industry by 2038.</p>
<p>We can also see this in <a href="https://www.rncanengagenrcan.ca/en/collections/just-transition">Canada</a>, which is developing legislation with principles of a just transition by establishing a body to provide advice on strategies supporting workers and communities. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-aboriginal-communities-be-part-of-the-nsw-renewable-energy-transition-181171">How can Aboriginal communities be part of the NSW renewable energy transition?</a>
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<p>Strong climate and energy policy will take hard work – let’s hope this truly marks the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-22/anthony-albanese-labor-ready-to-govern/101088900">end of the climate wars</a> and the start of Australia’s turbocharged energy transition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Madeline Taylor had received funding from ACOLA and the AIEN. She is a Climate Councillor for the Climate Council. </span></em></p>The soaring power prices expected to hit Australians are yet another reason the Albanese government should turbocharge its efforts on renewable energy and storage.Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1817582022-04-29T12:25:06Z2022-04-29T12:25:06ZNew Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New York<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460405/original/file-20220428-4047-ybokgk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3335%2C2380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Several offshore wind farms are planned for the U.S. Northeast.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-ge-alstom-block-island-wind-farm-stands-3-miles-off-of-news-photo/609896054?adppopup=true">Scott Eisen/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Rhode Island, home to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/science/wind-power-block-island.html">first offshore wind farm in the U.S.</a>, most people support expanding offshore wind power – with one important caveat.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629622001037?casa_token=d3_SujZuP5QAAAAA:ihDKdXI6KqM37HkGw3d0MneKJbu7F9S3RKjedb2YWBaiH1_1ixSrre_9NLv4v3MKvh4wItaeVnE">research</a> shows they’re less likely to support a wind power project if its energy flows to another state, and especially if it goes to a rival state. We found the same sentiment holds true on the New Hampshire coast.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uYGKlfIAAAAJ&hl=en">Social</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=831LSZ8AAAAJ&hl=en">scientists</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=N3QuuSIAAAAJ&hl=en">like us</a> call this “regionalism,” and our research suggests it could have serious repercussions for the renewable energy transition.</p>
<p>Think about the rivalries and sometimes outright animosity among baseball fans. Few regional rivalries are as intense as the one between Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans. More than mere bluster, these place-based identities can strongly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610397667">influence people’s thoughts</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430217712834">attitudes</a> about rival cities in ways that extend far beyond the game. An allegiance to the Yankees <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212442228">can even influence perception</a> of the distance between New York City and Boston.</p>
<p>But do regional identities affect attitudes toward energy development? Our studies of public attitudes toward offshore wind energy development indicate they might.</p>
<h2>Which state gets the power matters</h2>
<p>We conducted two surveys – one in Rhode Island and the other on the New Hampshire coast – to see how people felt about offshore wind power, including energy exports.</p>
<p>Overall, both groups supported wind power off their shores.</p>
<p>People were happiest if the power was produced for their home states. That wasn’t a surprise. Studies have showed that the public generally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111872">objects to energy exports</a>, perhaps fueled by concerns over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2016.1267614">distributive justice</a>. Distributive justice refers to discrepancies between who bears costs, like having power plants and equipment in sight, and who benefits, such as from revenue and energy produced.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tourists play on a beach with the Block Island Wind Farm in the distance." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460404/original/file-20220428-26-mmdz2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Block Island Wind Farm’s five turbines power the island with renewable energy. The rest of the electricity goes to the mainland grid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-ge-alstom-block-island-wind-farm-stands-3-miles-off-of-news-photo/609854808?adppopup=true">Scott Eisen/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The answers got more interesting when we asked about exporting power to specific states.</p>
<p>For people in New Hampshire, wind power projects that send power to their North Woods brethren in Maine were more palatable than projects that would connect to more urban Massachusetts.</p>
<p>For Rhode Islanders, a wind power project serving Massachusetts was OK, but not one serving New York. That reaction was consistent with the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, with people in <a href="https://harvardsportsanalysis.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/finding-the-true-border-between-yankee-and-red-sox-nation-using-facebook-data/">Red Sox-loving</a> Rhode Island preferring the electricity be sent to New England instead.</p>
<p><iframe id="6TWDt" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/6TWDt/6/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Our study demonstrates that not only are people less supportive of other states claiming electricity produced off their shores, but it also matters which state is involved. It’s important to remember that once electricity goes into the Northeast grid, power from those wind turbines could go anywhere in the region. The power company and state that contract with a wind farm can benefit from the price and credit for contributing that clean energy, but electricity itself isn’t limited to that state, and the climate and clean energy benefits are also global. However, perceptions of who benefits matter for public acceptance.</p>
<h2>What this means for the future</h2>
<p>How will this regionalism play out for actual projects? We are not sure, but these are not just hypothetical situations.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.capegazette.com/article/%C3%B8rsted-selected-expand-windfarm-area-delaware-coast/232524">project off the Delaware coast</a> will supply power to Maryland. A <a href="https://www.nationalfisherman.com/northeast/final-approval-for-south-fork-wind-project">project recently approved</a> for development off Rhode Island will provide electricity to Long Island, New York.</p>
<p>The U.S. is poised for a rapid rise in offshore wind power. The Biden administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">committed enthusiastically</a> to offshore wind development, and coastal states have already committed to generating nearly 45 gigawatts of offshore wind power. That’s close to the <a href="https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2022/">global total of around 57 gigawatts</a>, and about 1,000 times the current U.S. production from its seven existing offshore wind turbines. The first large-scale project, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-approves-its-first-big-offshore-wind-farm-near-marthas-vineyard-its-a-breakthrough-for-the-industry-160747">Vineyard Wind</a>, is under construction south of Martha’s Vineyard to ultimately provide up to 800 megawatts of electricity to its home state of Massachusetts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of coasts showing lease areas offshore" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440937/original/file-20220114-16-u7vu61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The maps show areas leased for future offshore wind projects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/mapping-and-data/renewable-energy-gis-data">BOEM</a></span>
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<p><iframe id="98cQU" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/98cQU/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Offshore wind energy has faced some controversy in the U.S. An early proposed project, Cape Wind, was scuttled by <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2015/01/09/cape-wind-faces-uncertain-future">two decades of litigation</a>. Public objections often arise over potential impacts to ocean views, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.404">fishing industry</a> and whales and other wildlife. Concerns over distributive justice could also turn public opinion against future projects. </p>
<h2>What to do about it</h2>
<p>One means of addressing fairness for energy projects is by providing “community benefits” such as <a href="https://revenuedata.doi.gov/how-revenue-works/gomesa/#:%7E:text=The%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico%20Energy,in%20the%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico.">sharing revenues</a> with communities affected by offshore energy projects. We believe offshore energy developers and policymakers should <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101393">broaden engagement</a> to neighboring states and communities and consider how the project might affect nearby communities.</p>
<p>The energy transition may also be expedited by acknowledging <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110044">place-based identities</a> and planning accordingly, downplaying rivalries. For example, the federal government could move away from naming areas of the ocean designated for offshore wind development after specific states.</p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.</em>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181758/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Bidwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Firestone is a former (uncompensated) Director of First State Marine Wind (FSMW), which owns a land-based wind turbine adjacent to the University of Delaware's Lewes campus. UD is the controlling owner of FSMW, with SGRE, the turbine manufacturer, owning a minority interest. Wind turbine revenues are used for research, and here provided grant funding for the Rhode Island research. Firestone has never received industry support from SGRE or any other entity. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Ferguson receives funding from New Hampshire Seagrant</span></em></p>The regionalism that fuels the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is also found in U.S. attitudes about energy production, a new study shows. That could have repercussions for the renewable energy transition.David Bidwell, Associate Professor, Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode IslandJeremy Firestone, Professor, School of Marine Science and Policy, University of DelawareMichael Ferguson, Assistant Professor in Recreation Management and Policy, University of New HampshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1803652022-04-07T18:59:01Z2022-04-07T18:59:01ZEnergy strategy: expensive nuclear power push ignores chance to cut costs of UK’s electricity system<p>The high global gas price has quadrupled the wholesale energy price for consumers across the UK over the last six months, with those on default tariffs paying by direct debit likely to see their average <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/price-cap-increase-ps693-april">annual bill rise</a> by £693, from £1,277 to £1,971. </p>
<p>To begin insulating the public from volatile gas prices, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-acceleration-of-homegrown-power-in-britains-plan-for-greater-energy-independence">the government plans</a> to accelerate the pace at which it is deploying renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. That means an increase in the nation’s offshore wind capacity from 11 gigawatts (GW) today to 50GW by 2050 – 10GW more than its previous target – and eight new nuclear power stations. </p>
<p>Yet apart from a promised five-fold increase in solar power generation by 2035, the strategy sets no target for generating electricity from some of the country’s cheapest sources, like onshore wind.</p>
<p>The government may defend its decision to ramp up the production of nuclear power as support for a home-grown and reliable source of energy. But some of that hefty investment would be unnecessary if Britain reorganised its energy system to make the most of the nation’s abundant renewable electricity instead.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/gas-prices-how-to-ensure-consumers-dont-pay-for-the-next-energy-crisis-168611">Gas prices: how to ensure consumers don't pay for the next energy crisis</a>
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<p>When the price of a commodity like a soft drink goes up, production can be ramped up fairly rapidly to respond to spot market conditions, which quickly lowers prices again. Building a new nuclear power plant or offshore wind farm is quite different, requiring major investment and the certainty that there will be a reasonable return on upfront investment from selling energy over 30 to 40 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wind turbines arranged in a row far out at sea." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456878/original/file-20220407-18-ij3q5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The cost of building an offshore wind farm has plummeted, but onshore wind is cheaper.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/farm-614836703">KKFoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In the UK, governments can intervene in the capacity market to ensure a secure electricity supply by paying for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electricity-market-reform-capacity-market">reliable sources</a>, which provides the long-term certainty necessary to build sufficient generating capacity. Financial backing changes to reflect <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1005447/enabling-high-renewable-net-zero-electricity-system.pdf">the state’s priorities</a>, and the drive for eight new nuclear reactors is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/28/boris-johnsons-energy-strategy-funding-row-with-rishi-sunak">reported</a> to cost the public £13 billion.</p>
<p>Building wind farms and nuclear plants is just the first step though. The speed at which they be can integrated into electrical networks and operated to be in tune with power, transport and heat demand is what will actually decide when energy prices stabilise.</p>
<p>Wind and solar energy sources cannot change their output to match the minute-by-minute needs of customers. System operators must either instruct renewable generators to dump some of their energy when demand is low but wind and sunshine is high, or ask fossil power plants to fire up and fill the gap when demand is too much for becalmed wind turbines to meet. </p>
<p>The cost of the former is around £20 million a day. The annual cost of balancing the energy system in this way reached a record £1.2 billion in 2021, up from 5% of the wholesale energy cost in 2010 to <a href="https://electricinsights.co.uk/#/homepage?&_k=vujwqc">20% today</a>. </p>
<p>How to get inflexible, low-carbon energy to homes and businesses reliably and cheaply is as important as building new, reliable sources. And on that count, making <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digitalising-our-energy-system-for-net-zero-strategy-and-action-plan">more effective use</a> of renewable sources – and reducing energy demand overall – would mean the country could afford to build less nuclear power, which is one of the few low-carbon sources which <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-energy-nuclearpower-idUSKBN1W909J">hasn’t become substantially cheaper</a>.</p>
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<img alt="A gloved hand holds a tool injecting cavity wall insulation into brickwork." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456879/original/file-20220407-19-ul8962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Saving energy is possible through efficiency measures like installing cavity wall insulation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/house-being-insulated-by-injecting-microbead-1894972093">Corlaffra/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>New technologies</h2>
<p>One way to increase customer demand for renewable and low-carbon energy when it’s abundant and reduce it when generation is tight is to incentivise storage technologies.</p>
<p>For example, if electric vehicles are charged up when there is plenty of wind and solar power being generated, 40GW of offshore renewable energy would be enough to power the country’s <a href="https://newcastle-my.sharepoint.com/personal/nla22_newcastle_ac_uk/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=/personal/nla22_newcastle_ac_uk/Documents/M&R%2520Policy%2520Paper.pdf&parent=/personal/nla22_newcastle_ac_uk/Documents&ga=1">entire vehicle fleet</a> without any of it going to waste. </p>
<p>To help harmonise Britain’s energy demand with periods when renewable output is high, the government could invest in digital technologies such as smart meters and set up new tariffs which can send price signals to EV chargers. It could also invest in improving the short-term forecasting of solar and wind output. These changes would make distributors aware of customer needs and help customers alleviate stress on the system.</p>
<p>While electric vehicle batteries can manage the variability of renewable output, Britain’s energy system also needs fixed storage – like grid-scale batteries which, unlike the government’s favoured solution of hydrogen fuel, are capable of very fast response times to manage sudden changes.</p>
<p>Enabling millions of electric vehicles and <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-you-get-a-heat-pump-heres-how-they-compare-to-a-gas-boiler-151493">heat pumps</a> to tap into nuclear energy and renewable power generated in the remote North Sea is no small undertaking – it requires urgent changes in how the UK’s energy system operates. </p>
<p>For instance, using passenger electric vehicles to help manage renewable output will require access to personal data, such as the location of a vehicle when it is plugged in, or real-time energy use in a customer’s home. Rules need establishing to assure customers that this data will be protected rather than abused and used for anything other than system management.</p>
<p>But the energy strategy offers little in navigating the complexity of integrating EVs in garages with wind farms offshore. The result could be a fragmented system – unreliable and costly to maintain as decarbonisation intensifies.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Failure to make the most of Britain’s abundant renewables will mean a costly and unreliable energy supply.Furong Li, Reader in Electrical Systems, University of BathNigel Turvey, Visiting Senior Industrial Fellow in Electrical Engineering, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1786292022-03-10T18:54:46Z2022-03-10T18:54:46ZOffshore wind will come to Australian waters – as long as we pave the way for this new industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451200/original/file-20220310-27-16hfebo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2308%2C1295&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Offshore wind is playing an <a href="https://windeurope.org/intelligence-platform/product/wind-energy-in-europe-2021-statistics-and-the-outlook-for-2022-2026/">important role</a> in Europe’s shift to renewables. </p>
<p>Australia’s excellent offshore resources now look like they are going to contribute to our own energy transition. Last week, the Victorian government announced <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/561400/Offshore-Wind-Policy-Directions-Paper.pdf">ambitious targets</a> for offshore wind capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW) by 2032, 4GW by 2035, and 9GW by 2040. </p>
<p>If this is all built, it will produce somewhere in the region of <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/victorias-offshore-wind-plan-is-biggest-thing-since-loy-yang-shame-the-media-missed-it/">40 terawatt hours (TWh) of power</a>, close to <a href="https://www.aer.gov.au/wholesale-markets/wholesale-statistics/annual-electricity-consumption-nem">all electricity used</a> via the NEM in Australia’s second most populous state. </p>
<p>Offshore wind offers another excellent renewable option as we decarbonise electricity. But more needs to be done to turn these plans into enormous turbines off our coast. We need to streamline regulations, introduce more targets, fund research and begin building a supply chain. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4041%2C2266&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Wind turbines in sea" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4041%2C2266&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451192/original/file-20220310-15-v0m2os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Offshore wind farms have become an important source of electricity in Europe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Policy targets are key</h2>
<p>Victoria’s groundbreaking announcement comes after federal government support for Australia’s energy transition through the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021A00120">Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021</a>. It provides a broad framework to enable offshore renewable energy developments in Australia, and gives greater certainty to offshore wind backers. </p>
<p>Where should offshore wind be built? Key locations are off the Gippsland coast, as well as the coasts of the Hunter and Illawarra regions and off Tasmania’s north-west, according to the draft 2022 <a href="https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/major-publications/isp/2022/draft-2022-integrated-system-plan.pdf?la=en">Integrated System Plan</a> issued by Australia’s energy market operator. At least 12 projects are in the <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/offshore-wind-farm-map-of-australia/">early stages of development</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So what do we need to make this a reality? In our <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/files/document-collection/2022%202%20-%20ZCEAP%20Working%20Paper%20-%20Expert%20Elicitation%2C%2010%20March.pdf">recent working paper</a>, we asked experts from industry, government and the research community which policies they believe are needed to get offshore wind up and running. We surveyed experts across the region, from Northeast Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia.</p>
<p>We found the experts shared strong support for the use of policy targets. Why? Because policy targets help provide the certainty of an ongoing pipeline for windfarm developers. Other state governments could follow Victoria and use targets to kickstart the offshore wind industry.</p>
<p>Targets alone will not be enough. Our experts singled out streamlined regulation as important. Some European nations have moved to coordinate offshore wind siting, consultation, and project development processes. Japan is now looking to adopt this approach.</p>
<p>At present, developers looking to build offshore wind in Australia will need to navigate different agencies due to separate state and federal responsibilities. Coordination will help provide greater regulatory certainty, combined with careful consultation with local communities. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450882/original/file-20220309-28-12g5r50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Expert support for policies to accelerate offshore wind development, separated by turbines mounted on the seabed and tethered floating turbines.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Floating turbine tech has to develop further</h2>
<p>Most of the world’s offshore turbines sit on fixed foundations in waters less than 60 metres deep. </p>
<p>Some of Australia’s best offshore wind resources are located in <a href="https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/projects/offshore-wind-potential-australia/">deeper water</a>. That means we’ll need to use floating turbines, which sit on surface platforms tethered by cable to the seafloor. </p>
<p>This technology isn’t as developed as fixed foundation turbines. As this technology matures and becomes cheaper, it will open up more areas. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Floating wind turbines" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451195/original/file-20220310-23-1ymiurc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Floating wind turbines are under development.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Floatgen.jpg">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How can we speed this up? According to the experts we surveyed, we can make costs fall faster through government-backed research and development, as well as supporting commercialisation of newer technologies and processes. </p>
<p>The Victorian government expects local supply chains for this offshore wind rollout will emerge and become a boon to the economy. But why keep this to ourselves? An effective local supply chain would be well placed for the wider Asia Pacific offshore wind market, forecast to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3168633/asia-pacific-wind-energy-sector-set-rapid-growth-china-becomes-worlds">grow very strongly</a> this decade. </p>
<h2>We are only at the beginning of offshore wind</h2>
<p>Last year’s federal legislation saw Australia join nations in our region including Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea and China in <a href="https://gwec.net/global-offshore-wind-report-2021/">establishing policy frameworks</a> to support offshore wind power deployment.</p>
<p>It’s unusual to see federal and state governments seeing eye to eye on renewables.
But that’s what we’re starting to see with offshore wind. Last year’s federal legislation has had positive spin-off effects clearly seen in Victoria’s new <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/561400/Offshore-Wind-Policy-Directions-Paper.pdf">vision for the sector</a>. </p>
<p>Victoria’s government believes its mooted offshore wind pipeline will be a major source of new jobs, throughout the project development, construction, and operations phases. </p>
<p>Some of these jobs will be in coal regions such as in the Latrobe Valley, which are beginning to transition away from coal mines and coal power stations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Technician climbs offshore wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451193/original/file-20220310-14-15tl96s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Building and maintaining offshore wind will require a supply chain and skilled workers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As you might expect, planning, building and running offshore wind farms is complex, requiring coordinating with other users of ocean resources, measuring wind resources, assessing the potential environmental impact, developing necessary port infrastructure, and securing a connection to the electricity grid. </p>
<p>This means that while federal legislation and state government announcements are vital first steps, they are just the beginning of building the policy framework and supply chains to support a substantial offshore wind industry in Australia. </p>
<p>Is it worth it? Absolutely. Europe’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/europe-installed-a-record-amount-of-wind-power-in-2021.html">thriving offshore wind market</a> shows us this electricity source is more than capable of competing against other electricity generation sources without subsidies. Offshore wind could also provide renewable electricity to <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/files/document-collection/2021%2012%20-%20ZCEAP%20Working%20Paper%20-%20Offshore%20hydrogen%2010%20Jan%20%281%29-compressed_0.pdf">produce hydrogen</a>. </p>
<h2>What are the next steps?</h2>
<p>Australia has offshore wind projects already in early development, with the <a href="https://www.starofthesouth.com.au/project-overview">Star of the South</a> off Gippsland the most advanced. If this goes ahead, this 2.2GW project could supply up to 20% of Victoria’s electricity needs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-can-breathe-new-life-into-our-warming-seas-177873">Wind turbines can breathe new life into our warming seas</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In Western Australia, a 3GW offshore wind farm has just been proposed. The project’s backers suggest this would be enough to enough to generate up to <a href="http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au/_entity/annotation/625222a7-ef98-ec11-80d2-00505684c137/a71d58ad-4cba-48b6-8dab-f3091fc31cd5?t=1646092693634">11 TWh of power</a> annually, offsetting around six million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.</p>
<p>Costs are expected to fall and keep falling, if global deployment of offshore wind increases in line with net zero emissions targets, according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.25919/k4xp-7n26">CSIRO projections</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450883/original/file-20220309-15-8ppqyq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cost projections for offshore wind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO Gencost 2021</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is excellent news that offshore wind has begun to gather real momentum. Now is the time to consider measures such as regulatory streamlining, more policy targets to de-risk investments, and investments in research and development. </p>
<p>If we get these in place, offshore wind could become an important part of the energy transition in Australia – and help Australian companies compete internationally for a share of this ballooning new market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178629/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The financial support of the European Union’s Partnership Instrument is acknowledged for its support for this research. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the Australian National University and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. Llewelyn Hughes provides advice to a number of companies operating in the renewable energy sector in Japan, including in offshore wind. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Longden is a Fellow working on the ANU Energy Change Institute’s Grand Challenge – Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific. He receives funding from the US Embassy (Canberra) and the Australian Department of Defence. He is a member of the ACT Climate Change Council. </span></em></p>Australia has finally opened the regulatory doors to offshore wind farms. What do we need to do to make the roll out fast and build supply chains?Llewelyn Hughes, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityThomas Longden, Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1745532022-01-18T15:28:40Z2022-01-18T15:28:40ZIreland has the wind and seas to become an offshore superpower<p>The Irish government signed up to the recent Glasgow Climate Pact and used the summit to announce a raft of ambitious goals, including the development of 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy up to 2030. That would more than double the country’s <a href="https://windenergyireland.com/about-wind/facts-stats">current onshore and offshore wind power capacity</a>. </p>
<p>Compared to some of its more outlandish ambitions, such as having nearly a <a href="https://www.electrive.com/2021/11/08/ireland-wants-1-million-electric-vehicles-on-the-road-by-2030/">million electric vehicles</a> on Ireland’s roads by 2030, the offshore wind target actually seems achievable. After all, the Republic of Ireland’s maritime area extends far into the Atlantic Ocean and is roughly <a href="https://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area/irelands-marine-resource/real-map-ireland#:%7E:text=We%20call%20this%20%E2%80%98The%20Real%20Map%20of%20Ireland%E2%80%99,area%20more%20than%2010%20times%20our%20land%20mass.">ten times</a> the size of its land area. The total offshore wind resource is enough to comfortably power the country’s <a href="https://www.windenergyireland.com/images/files/20201203-final-iwea-building-offshore-wind-report.pdf#:%7E:text=Ireland%E2%80%99s%20abundant%20offshore%20wind%20energy%20resource%20is%20more,turbines%20and%20a%20total%20capacity%20of%2025%20MW">electricity needs</a>. Given more than 30 projects with a total capacity of around 29 GW are in various stages of planning, then it does indeed seem the 5 GW target can be reached by 2030.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of Europe with purple and green shaded areas" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441317/original/file-20220118-23-1uv0x36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ireland is surrounded by some of Europe’s best wind resources. (Map shows mean wind power density. Purple = strong and consistent winds)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://globalwindatlas.info/">Global Wind Atlas / DTU</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the Irish government has a rather bad track record when it comes to delivering on climate plans and Ireland is currently one of the <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/ireland-ranked-among-worst-performers-in-2021-climate-rankings-1.4723617">worst performers</a> in the EU. Rewind back to COP21 in Paris, 2015. The then taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/cop21-full-text-of-taoiseach-enda-kenny-s-address-to-paris-summit-1.2449204">announced that</a> “We have committed, with our EU partners, to a collective target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030”. With the same breath he then claimed it was okay if the national cattle herd would <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/kenny-on-wrong-side-of-history-over-global-summit-remarks-1.2450430#:%7E:text=Taoiseach%20Enda%20Kenny%20was%20accused%20of%20waffle%20over,summit%20on%20climate%20change%20in%20Paris%20on%20Monday">grow</a>. </p>
<p>Six years on from Paris, optimistic projections show Ireland will only achieve a <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0929/1249715-dairy-herd/">24% reduction</a> of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, even though a new target of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59169887">51%</a> has been agreed. On the other hand, the national cattle herd has indeed grown, with agriculture now accounting for one third of the country’s total emissions.</p>
<h2>Ireland stands to gain from offshore wind</h2>
<p>The Irish offshore wind industry is still in its infancy, with the 24 megawatt Arklow Bank the only operating wind farm in Irish waters. But the country has a lot to gain. A growing offshore wind sector will help it achieve emissions reduction targets, and will also make Ireland less dependent on the import of energy and shield it against spikes in energy prices on the international markets. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Power plant by the sea, grey skies." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/441315/original/file-20220118-15-ln02i9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coal-fired Moneypoint is Ireland’s largest power station, but may be converted to a hub for offshore wind.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">mightymightymatze / flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another benefit is that it will bring new jobs to coastal communities, which will help ease the energy transition. For example, as part of a large floating wind farm project off the coast of County Clare the Moneypoint coal power station is to be transformed into a <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/moneypoint-power-station-to-become-major-base-for-renewable-energy-1.4532323">green energy hub and manufacturing site</a> for floating offshore wind turbines. </p>
<h2>Gap between policy and action</h2>
<p>But dark clouds are hanging over the Moneypoint project in particular, and the Irish offshore wind industry in general. In November 2021 Equinor, a Norwegian oil and gas giant, announced it was <a href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/equinor-pulls-out-of-ireland-s-offshore-wind-market">quitting</a> its partnership in Irish offshore wind projects with ESB, an Irish electric utility company. One may question the motives of oil and gas companies for investing in offshore wind, but they are certainly capable of delivering badly needed investments. Part of Equinor’s reason was <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40736667.html">reportedly</a> “dissatisfaction with Ireland’s regulatory and planning regime”.</p>
<p>The Irish government seems undeterred, saying that it was only one company abandoning the offshore wind market while <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40736667.html">many others are lined up</a> to take Equinor’s place. The government intends to hold renewable energy auctions in 2022 and expects to see construction on offshore wind projects starting in 2025. However, both industry advocates and the government’s climate advisers warned this isn’t fast enough and that new legislation was needed to reform the planning and regulatory framework.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2021/104/">Maritime Area Planning Bill</a> passed into law in December 2021, which would suggest there is some movement on the legislative front. However, the Irish government admits there is still some work ahead to establish an Office of Marine Development Enforcement, develop necessary regulations, and get different state entities to agree on how to engage with the system.</p>
<p>In contrast, the UK government recently announced the development of an <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/12/13/uk-opens-biggest-ever-contracts-for-difference-round/">additional 12 GW</a> of offshore wind energy. The Netherlands meanwhile, with a maritime area about 15 times smaller than that of Ireland, has announced the development of an additional offshore wind capacity of 11 GW by 2030, <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/11/11/the-netherlands-plans-to-nearly-double-2030-offshore-wind-target/">doubling its target</a>, while construction of 2 GW is already ongoing. </p>
<p>Clearly Ireland is lagging behind other countries with offshore wind development. Ultimately, it is likely that many of the planned 30 projects will not be built, even with all the required legislation in place. However, at the current pace of legislation it is uncertain if even the 5 GW target will be achieved by 2030.</p>
<p>The coming year will reveal if the Irish government is indeed serious about offshore wind energy by delivering the necessary legislation, and hopefully avoiding another debacle like the Equinor departure.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174553/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aldert Otter receives funding from Science Foundation Ireland. </span></em></p>The coming year will reveal if the country is serious about developing its wind energy.Aldert Otter, PhD Researcher, Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland, University College CorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1736312022-01-12T13:38:23Z2022-01-12T13:38:23ZA 21st-century reinvention of the electric grid is crucial for solving the climate change crisis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438574/original/file-20211220-49229-2ukdcl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2461&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Integrating solar panels with farming can provide partial shade for plants.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.nrel.gov/">Werner Slocum/NREL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the summer of 1988, scientist James Hansen <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b5127807">testified</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=jkY0AAAAIAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">to Congress</a> that carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels was dangerously warming the planet. Scientific meetings were held, voluminous reports were written, and national pledges were made, but because fossil fuels were comparatively cheap, little concrete action was taken to reduce carbon emissions.</p>
<p>Then, beginning around 2009, first wind turbines and then solar photovoltaic panels decreased enough in cost to become competitive in electricity markets. More installations resulted in more “<a href="http://www.rapidshift.net/solar-pv-shows-a-record-learning-rate-28-5-reduction-in-cost-per-watt-for-every-doubling-of-cumulative-capacity/">learning curve</a>” cost reductions – the decrease in cost with every doubling of deployment. Since 2009, the prices of wind and solar power have decreased by an astonishing 72% and 90%, respectively, and they are now the <a href="https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-levelized-cost-of-storage-and-levelized-cost-of-hydrogen/">cheapest electricity sources</a> – although some challenges still exist.</p>
<p><iframe id="fbXLH" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fbXLH/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>With the planet facing increasingly intense heat waves, drought, wildfires and storms, a path to tackle the climate crisis became clear: Transition the electric grid to carbon-free wind and solar and convert most other fossil fuel users in transportation, buildings and industry to electricity.</p>
<p>The U.S. is headed in that direction. <a href="https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-electricity-growth-is-accelerating-faster-than-ever-worldwide-supporting-the-emergence-of-the-new-global-energy-economy">Early projections</a> suggest the world just wrapped up a record year of renewable electricity growth in 2021, following a <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/wind-and-solar-defied-the-2020-economic-contraction-in-the-u.s">record 33,500 megawatts</a> of solar and wind electricity installed in the U.S. in 2020, according to BloombergNEF data. Even <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/10/2022-will-be-a-record-year-for-wind-and-solar-new-report-finds.html">faster growth is expected</a> ahead, especially given the Biden administration’s plans to tap <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-just-set-ambitious-offshore-wind-power-targets-what-will-it-take-to-meet-them-158136">high-value offshore wind resources</a>. But will it be <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">fast enough</a>? </p>
<p>The Biden administration’s goal is to have a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/22/fact-sheet-president-biden-sets-2030-greenhouse-gas-pollution-reduction-target-aimed-at-creating-good-paying-union-jobs-and-securing-u-s-leadership-on-clean-energy-technologies/">carbon emissions-free grid by 2035</a>. One recent study found that the U.S. will need to <a href="https://energyinnovation.org/publication/2030-report-powering-americas-clean-economy/">nearly triple its 2020 growth rate</a> for the grid to be 80% powered by clean energy by 2030. (As difficult as that may sound, China reportedly installed 120,000 megawatts of wind and solar in 2020.)</p>
<p>The foundation of this transition is a dramatic change in the electric grid itself. </p>
<h2>3 ways to bring wind and solar into the grid</h2>
<p>Hailed as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-current-war-directors-cut-shows-how-the-electric-power-system-we-take-for-granted-came-to-be-125916">greatest invention of the 20th century</a>, our now-aging grid was based on fundamental concepts that made sense at the time it was developed. The original foundation was a combination of “base load” coal plants that operated 24 hours a day and large-scale hydropower.</p>
<p>Beginning in 1958, these were augmented by nuclear power plants, which have operated nearly continuously to pay off their large capital investments. Unlike coal and nuclear, solar and wind are variable; they provide power only when the sun and wind are available.</p>
<p>Converting to a 21st-century grid that is increasingly based on variable resources requires a completely new way of thinking. New sources of flexibility – the ability to keep supply and demand in balance over all time scales – are essential to enable this transition. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wind turbines next to a road on a rugged ridge." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438580/original/file-20211220-19-n7q183.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pine Tree Wind Farm near Tehachapi, California, provides renewable power to Los Angeles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.nrel.gov/">Dennis Schroeder/NREL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are basically three ways to accommodate the variability of wind and solar energy: use storage, deploy generation in a coordinated fashion across a wide area of the country along with more transmission, and manage electricity demand to better match the supply. These are all sources of flexibility.</p>
<p>Storage is now largely being provided by lithium-ion batteries. <a href="https://about.bnef.com/blog/battery-pack-prices-fall-to-an-average-of-132-kwh-but-rising-commodity-prices-start-to-bite/">Their costs have plummeted</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/these-3-energy-storage-technologies-can-help-solve-the-challenge-of-moving-to-100-renewable-electricity-161564">new storage technologies</a> are being developed.</p>
<p>Expanded transmission is especially valuable. When the Northeast is experiencing peak electric demand in the early evening, there is still sun in the West. And, with more transmission, the large wind resources in the center of the country can <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-needs-a-macrogrid-to-move-electricity-from-areas-that-make-it-to-areas-that-need-it-155938">send electricity toward both coasts</a>. Transmission studies have shown that <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/seams.html">stronger interconnections among the country’s three power grids</a> are highly beneficial.</p>
<p>Making buildings more efficient and controlling their demand can also play a big role in cleaning up the grid. <a href="https://publishing.aip.org/publications/latest-content/100-renewable-energy-using-building-science/">Buildings</a> use 74% of U.S. electricity. Interconnected devices and equipment with smart meters can reduce and reshape a building’s power use.</p>
<p><iframe id="HNrNh" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HNrNh/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Innovations that make 100% clean power possible</h2>
<p>Many analysts believe the U.S. can cost-effectively and reliably operate a power grid <a href="https://gspp.berkeley.edu/faculty-and-impact/news/recent-news/the-us-can-reach-90-percent-clean-electricity-by-2035-dependably-and-without-increasing-consumer-bills">with 80% to 90% clean electricity</a>, but decarbonizing the last 10% to 20% will be notably more challenging. While short-duration storage, lasting four hours or less, is becoming ubiquitous, we will likely need to provide power during some periods when wind and solar resources are at low levels (what the Germans call dunkelflaute, or “dark doldrums”). An expanded national transmission network will help, but some amount of long-duration storage will likely be needed.</p>
<p>Numerous options are being explored, including <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/big-money-flows-long-duration-energy-storage">alternative battery technologies</a> and green hydrogen.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2021/10/25/scientists-win-4-million-efficient-battery-development">Flow batteries</a> are among the promising approaches that we are working on at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/rasei/">Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute</a> at the University of Colorado. In a typical design, liquid electrolyte flows between two storage tanks separated by a membrane. The tanks can be scaled up in size corresponding to the desired storage duration. </p>
<p><a href="https://ideas.ted.com/what-on-earth-is-green-hydrogen-hint-its-a-fuel-that-could-be-the-key-to-a-carbon-free-future/">Green hydrogen</a> is a potential storage option for very long durations. It is produced by splitting water molecules with an electrolyzer powered by renewable electricity. The hydrogen can be stored underground (or in above-ground tanks) and either burned in combustion turbines or converted back to electricity in fuel cells. Green hydrogen is currently very expensive but is expected to become more affordable as the <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/csiros-stunning-predictions-for-low-cost-battery-storage-and-hydrogen-electrolysers/">cost of electrolyzers decreases</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, new business, market design and grid operator models are emerging. <a href="https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/solargardens">Community solar gardens</a>, for example, allow homeowners to purchase locally produced solar electricity even if their own roofs are not suitable for solar panels. <a href="https://www.energy.gov/oe/activities/technology-development/grid-modernization-and-smart-grid/role-microgrids-helping">Microgrids</a> are another business model becoming common on campuses and complexes that produce electricity locally and can continue to operate if the grid goes down. Clean microgrids are powered by renewable energy and batteries.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man stands on a roof with solar panels and a community in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439156/original/file-20220103-42040-g7xcu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bishop Richard Howell stands near some of the 630 solar panels on the roof of his Minneapolis church. The community solar project provides clean energy to the community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CommunitySolar/19c76868bd6a46e2b6303f0fe8d8f3c1/photo">AP Photo/Jim Mone</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Innovative market designs include <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Feb/IRENA_Innovation_ToU_tariffs_2019.pdf?la=en&hash=36658ADA8AA98677888DB2C184D1EE6A048C7470">time-of-use rates</a> that encourage electricity use, such as for charging electric vehicles, when renewable electricity is plentiful. <a href="https://greeningthegrid.org/integration-in-depth/balancing-area-coordination">Expanded balancing area coordination</a> draws on variable solar and wind resources from a wide region to provide a smoother overall supply. Improved grid operations include <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2020/Jul/IRENA_Advanced_weather_forecasting_2020.pdf%20?%20%20la=en&hash=8384431B56569C0D8786C9A4FDD56864443D10AF">advanced forecasting of wind and solar</a> to minimize wasted power and reduce the need for costly standby reserves. <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/dynamic-line-rating-pushing-the-transmission-grid-envelope-on-clean-energy-capacity">Dynamic line rating</a> allows grid operators to transmit more electricity through existing lines when favorable weather conditions permit.</p>
<p>Across the economy, greater attention to energy efficiency can enable power sector transformation, minimizing costs and improving reliability.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Nuclear power is also essentially carbon-free, and keeping existing nuclear plants running can make the transition to renewables easier. However, new nuclear plants in the U.S. are very expensive to build, have long construction times and may prove too costly to operate in a manner that would help firm variable solar and wind.</p>
<p>In our view, the urgency of climate change demands an all-out effort to address it. Having a 2035 emissions goal is important, but the emissions reduction path the U.S. takes to reach that goal is critical. The No. 1 need is to minimize adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The world already has the tools to get the grid 80% to 90% carbon-free, and technical experts are exploring a wide range of promising options for achieving that last 10% to 20%.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173631/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles F. Kutscher has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeffrey S. Logan also works at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.</span></em></p>Renewable energy is expanding at a record pace, but still not fast enough. Here are the key areas to watch for progress in bringing more wind and solar into the power grid in 2022.Charles F. Kutscher, Fellow and Senior Research Associate, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado BoulderJeffrey Logan, Associate Director of Energy Policy and Analysis, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado BoulderLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1737102021-12-21T13:33:23Z2021-12-21T13:33:23ZTo harness the North Sea winds, we must understand its complicated seabed geology<p>For any country blessed with easy access to the shallow and windy North Sea, offshore wind will be key to meeting net zero targets. Developing these wind farms is partly a challenge for engineers, but it but also depends on the geology beneath the seabed – and that’s where <a href="https://www.escubed.org/articles/10.3389/esss.2021.10042/full">geoscientists like us come in</a>. As the industry collects more data, the seabed geology is proving to be far more complicated, and revealing, than previously envisaged.</p>
<p>Over the past few million years of on-off ice ages, large ice sheets advanced and retreated over northern Europe many times. This altered the landscape and drove changes in the sea level. The UK’s current coastlines provide a snapshot of this changing landscape, but submerged under the sea is a far more complete archive of recent Earth history. </p>
<p>For instance, the Dogger Bank, a shallow region of the central North Sea with lots of potential for wind power, was dry land until just <a href="https://theconversation.com/doggerlands-lost-world-shows-melting-glaciers-have-drowned-lands-before-and-may-again-26472">8,000 or so years ago</a>. Fishing vessels occasionally drag up prehistoric tools and artefacts from the people who lived there. We now know much more about these cycles of ice advance and retreat thanks to huge areas of the North Sea being surveyed for offshore windfarm development.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="white background with red patches in lines" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438634/original/file-20211221-15-1j9ghk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An example seabed cross section from the southern North Sea which reveals the layers of different sediment that will be intersected by turbines and cables.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adapted from Eaton et al Journal of Quaternary Science (2020)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We are geoscientists who <a href="https://esurf.copernicus.org/articles/9/1399/2021/esurf-9-1399-2021.pdf">map these layers of sediment</a> below the seabed. Each layer can tell us something about the world at the time it was deposited. Some layers are glacial sediments, bulldozed by the movement and pressure of the overlying ice, and in some places glacial lakes that formed from water melting from the ice sheets. Other layers show that once the ice retreated, terrestrial landscapes formed with complicated networks of river channels that meandered through woods and peatlands. </p>
<p>As ice sheets melted towards the end of each ice age, rising seas flooded the landscape. We know this because sands and silts deposited during these warm periods contain seashells. This cycle of destruction as the ice advances, and repair as it retreats and the land was flooded, has resulted in a complicated arrangement of sedimentary layers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three maps of seabed" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438640/original/file-20211221-23072-1t9eabs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Windfarm data from the Dogger Bank reveals submerged landscapes. A) Glacial landforms provide evidence of an ice sheet 23,000 years ago. B) The ice retreat left a low relief terrestrial landscape dissected by rivers that attracted early humans. C) Formation of a sandy spit as the landscape became coastal, prior to inundation by the sea, forcing the settlers to migrate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adapted from three studies the authors published on the Dogger Bank (lead author Andy Emery)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By studying these past environments in detail, we can better understand how landscapes evolve in response to changes in climate. Research of this nature has been conducted onshore for centuries, but there the geological record is frustratingly fragmented by erosion and the imprint of human development. By comparison, offshore we can trace the transition from ice ages to warm landscapes across tens or hundreds of kilometres, in part thanks to the unprecedented detail of data collected to support offshore wind. </p>
<p>In the North Sea, this has revealed that multiple cold-warm cycles have left different deposits under changing climates and sea levels. These complicated ground conditions can make the installation of wind turbines and interconnecting cables highly problematic since <a href="https://geosolutions.leeds.ac.uk/wind-farm-case-study/">different types of sediment provide different challenges</a>. </p>
<p>While stiff glacial clays often provide strong foundations for turbines, coarse marine sands are easy to erode from around the base towers and can lead to instability. The peat that formed during warm climates, before the sea-level rise, poses particular challenges as its fibrous nature makes it hard to dig trenches and reduces the efficiency of the cables transferring energy onshore.</p>
<p>Detailed mapping of the seabed, at a resolution never before possible or even considered, allows the offshore wind industry to plan more efficient and bespoke installations at each windfarm site. And since the sea level fell by 100 metres or more during each ice age, many other submerged continental shelves currently earmarked for offshore development will have been exposed at one time or another. This changing landscape during the past few million years will have resulted in varied and complex layers of sediment at potential offshore windfarm sites around the world, whether near to or far away from former ice sheets.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173710/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natasha Barlow receives funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (RISeR; grant agreement no. 802281).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Hodgson has received funding from Vattenfall to support a PhD studentship. </span></em></p>Millions of years of on-off ice ages have left behind a mix of different sediments.Natasha Barlow, Associate Professor of Quaternary Environmental Change, University of LeedsDavid Hodgson, Professor of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1688902021-11-09T13:54:04Z2021-11-09T13:54:04ZTidal turbines could generate 11% of the UK’s power – new research<p>The UK’s annual electricity demand is expected to more than <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/">double</a> by 2050. To meet this daunting target without relying on fossil fuels, the government is betting big on wind power – one of the cheapest forms of renewable power available.</p>
<p>But in August and September 2021, calm weather caused wind energy generation to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/imperfect-storm-winter-outlook-charlotte-johnson/?trackingId=xUmTGJ0UfF1Aabsh7B0QHQ%3D%3D">drop 60%</a> below the seasonal average. Planned and unplanned outages of nuclear power plus high demand for natural gas compounded the problem, resulting in network operators restarting coal power stations and energy companies <a href="https://theconversation.com/gas-price-spike-how-uk-government-failures-made-a-global-crisis-worse-168324">raising prices</a>.</p>
<p>As hosts of COP26 in Glasgow – the 26th UN climate change summit – the UK has <a href="https://ukcop26.org/the-conference/presidency-programme/">framed the negotiations</a> as a chance to show that “science and innovation can deliver climate solutions”. Established energy sources such as offshore wind will play a big role in decarbonising the economy and slowing climate change. But how can a fully net-zero grid guarantee electricity when the wind drops again in the future?</p>
<p>There’s another way of generating clean energy that the UK has so far failed to exploit: tidal stream power.</p>
<h2>Harnessing the tides</h2>
<p>The UK has two high tides and two low tides each day. This movement of water is created by the gravitational force of the Moon and Sun and the rotation of the Earth. In places like the Pentland Firth in northern Scotland, islands funnel and speed up these tidal flows. Tidal stream turbines are designed to work in these turbulent waters to generate electricity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A headland on the horizon with choppy water in the foreground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431050/original/file-20211109-15-g0scz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pentland Firth strait separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentland_Firth#/media/File:1972_Orkney_Islands.jpg">Roger McLassus</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tidal stream turbines work in a similar way to wind turbines – they even look alike. Wind turbines use the wind blowing over their blades to create a lift force, behaving like an aeroplane wing. One end of the turbine blade is connected to the hub of the rotor, so the lift force on the blades causes them to rotate. This turns a generator, producing electricity. </p>
<p>Tidal stream turbines do the same thing underwater using tidal flows instead of the wind. Most tidal stream turbines that have been installed so far sit on the sea floor, but some designs connect the turbines to a floating structure, making it easier for engineers to maintain them.</p>
<p>Tides come in and out like clockwork. That means, unlike most renewable energy sources, it’s possible to predict how much power tidal-stream turbines will generate this time tomorrow, next week, next year, even ten years from now. This makes it easier to match supply with demand and plan for the outages of other sources.</p>
<p>In a new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2021.0469">review</a>, my colleagues and I showed that the UK and British Channel Islands can generate 11% of their shared electricity demand each year using tidal stream turbines. This would require installing 11.5 gigawatt’s worth of energy in the strongest tidal streams – roughly the same as the installed capacity of offshore wind in the UK to date. It took the offshore wind industry in the UK 20 years to reach this level. If tidal stream power is going to contribute to the country’s future electricity needs, turbine installations must be ramped up soon.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A large white turbine on a metal pallet surrounded by shipping containers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431058/original/file-20211109-13-poglc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A 1.5 megawatt tidal turbine prior to installation in Scotland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/nigg-scotland-2017-march-24-1-1668725347">Arild Lilleboe/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So what’s needed to unlock its potential?</p>
<h2>Getting tidal power afloat</h2>
<p>One reason tidal stream power projects are so rare is that construction can only begin once there is solid evidence turbines will not significantly harm the environment. The risk of marine animals colliding with turbine blades, for example, is difficult to quantify, because monitoring their behaviour around turbines requires a lot of work that is difficult to do underwater.</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.3660">A recent study</a> described marine mammals near a tidal stream turbine in the Pentland Firth over 451 days. On 344 occasions when porpoises swam close to the turbine, none of them passed through the rotor while it was rotating. Most of the time, the porpoises gave the turbine a wide berth.</p>
<p>Some scientists worry large arrays of underwater turbines might prevent water mixing between the ocean bottom and the surface, which is important for the cycling of nutrients in marine ecosystems. But <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018JC013832">research</a> has shown that these potential effects are likely to be an order of magnitude less than the same ones expected due to climate change. </p>
<p>Mainly though, tidal stream power is very expensive to install. Wind and solar energy were too once, but these costs fell as governments invested in them. Investment pays for the installation of new projects and the subsequent learning process cuts costs in the future. UK government funding has provided a secure revenue stream for over 10 gigawatts of offshore wind energy projects, but funding for tidal stream power amounts to less than 1% of this. Even with that modest support, the first 8 megawatts of tidal stream power installed in the UK cut the cost of generating energy this way by <a href="https://ore.catapult.org.uk/?orecatapultreports=tidal-stream-and-wave-energy-cost-reduction-and-industrial-benefit">25%</a>. </p>
<p>Three tidal stream projects that total 124 megawatts are eligible to bid for funding support in the next auction round, scheduled for December 2021. We estimated that installing them would reduce tidal stream’s cost by roughly 40%, making it competitive with combined cycle gas turbines and biomass. This would only amount to 1% of the UK’s installed offshore wind capacity, and just 1% of tidal stream’s 11.5 gigawatt potential. Clearly, costs can be expected to fall much further.</p>
<p>The government funding <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-4-draft-budget-notice">rules</a> dictate that tidal stream projects must bid for support against projects using cheaper technologies that have less potential to reduce costs in the future. Floating offshore wind farms would face a similar dilemma, but have been <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-allocation-round-4-draft-budget-notice">guaranteed</a> separate funding by the government, giving it a route to market and cost reduction. </p>
<p>At COP26, the UK government should deliver on its fine words about science and innovation and provide the funding needed to unlock tidal stream energy’s potential.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="COP26: the world's biggest climate talks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>This story is part of The Conversation’s coverage on COP26, the Glasgow climate conference, by experts from around the world.</strong>
<br><em>Amid a rising tide of climate news and stories, The Conversation is here to clear the air and make sure you get information you can trust. <a href="https://page.theconversation.com/cop26-glasgow-2021-climate-change-summit/"><strong>More.</strong></a></em> </p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danny Coles receives funding through the Tidal Stream Industry Energiser project (TIGER), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG France (Channel) England Programme.</span></em></p>Subsidies could help kickstart cost cutting and innovation in this prohibitively expensive industry.Danny Coles, Research Fellow in Tidal Stream Energy, University of PlymouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1708062021-10-28T13:41:30Z2021-10-28T13:41:30ZSkills shortage could undo UK government’s net zero plans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429051/original/file-20211028-25-kaxri1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C258%2C5760%2C3569&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/renewable-energy-working-situation-sun-panel-1580783833">Ildiko Grant/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK government has set out its plans for reaching <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-charts-that-show-whats-wrong-with-the-uks-net-zero-plans-163601">net zero emissions</a>. This target, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson says will be met by 2050, is a crucial test of whether countries can move to a carbon-free economy.</p>
<p>From replacing gas boilers with heat pumps to expanding power generation from offshore wind, the government can only meet its net zero target if it delivers infrastructure projects the scale of which the UK has not seen since the industrial revolution. While the government is promising extra funding for these projects, it’s failing to deliver on a critical ingredient for their success: workers.</p>
<p>Take the offshore wind sector. The government aims to generate <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54421489">40 gigawatts</a> of additional wind power by 2030. To achieve this, the industry is building large windfarms at Hornsea and Dogger Bank that will deliver power to over 12 million homes. These projects need a highly skilled workforce, including scientists, asset managers, project managers, engineers and technicians. The offshore wind sector alone needs <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news/557871/More-than-69000-jobs-and-60-billion-private-investment-in-UK-offshore-wind-by-2026.htm">69,000 people</a> to reach the 40 gigawatt target.</p>
<p>But a <a href="https://www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/more/media-centre/news/2018/offshore-wind-skills-study">report I published</a> uncovered widespread worker shortages which threaten to undermine net zero projects. This includes the government’s own admission that the UK is short of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-landmark-campaign-to-inspire-next-generation-of-engineers">at least 20,000 engineers</a>. <a href="https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/data/2019-excel-resource/">A 2019 report</a> estimated that shortfall is likely to be much bigger: between 37,000 and 59,000. These shortages pre-date Brexit, but are likely to have been exacerbated by limits on EU workers. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/autumn-budget-2021-experts-react-170741">the 2021 budget</a>, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £1.6 billion (US$2.2 billion) to roll out new T-levels for 16 to 19-year-olds. These are new and very demanding courses which are supposed to be equivalent to three A-levels and include at least 45 days of work placement. This might sound like a promising partial remedy to the skills shortage. But my experience suggests it will be an enormous challenge for most companies to take large volumes of students and find them useful projects to work on over such long periods of time.</p>
<h2>The net zero workforce</h2>
<p>Why are sectors like offshore wind, which are expected to grow in coming years, struggling to attract and retain workers? A lack of long-term job security, a failure to attract workers from diverse communities to work in more remote coastal areas (where many offshore projects are based) and a lack of investment in lifelong skills training. The government, working with the private sector, higher education institutions and colleges, must overcome these problems if the UK is to meet its net zero ambition.</p>
<p>Governments need to help sectors like offshore wind plan for the long term. This means securing projects which are intended to last several decades, allowing young people to begin a career in the industry, safe in the knowledge there will be work beyond the next few years. More detailed long-term plans would help the sector recruit more effectively. At the moment, offshore wind projects have too little time between planning and construction, often giving just a few months for workers to be found. </p>
<p>In the UK’s political culture, it feels as if politicians pit urban communities against those in small towns. But the barriers preventing people in these places from entering science and engineering careers are similar. Both need more support with training and education to access opportunities building renewable energy and green infrastructure.</p>
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<img alt="An engineer adjusts the large fan unit of an air-source heat pump." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429053/original/file-20211028-24-ttufa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Installing heat pumps in buildings will require skilled workers in every community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professional-workman-protective-clothing-installing-outdoor-1552050725">RossHelen/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>What underpins all these challenges is a failure to think about the people and skills needed to reach net zero. For instance, in 2019, the government gave offshore wind companies a funding deal which obliged them to ensure 2.5% of the workforce is <a href="https://www.owic.org.uk/copy-of-entry-routes-to-offshore-wind-1">apprentices by 2030</a>, and to raise the proportion of women working in the sector from 18% to 33%, and from 5% to 9% for <a href="https://www.owic.org.uk/people-skills">Black and minority ethnic workers</a>. This puts offshore wind in competition with other parts of the energy sector, which are also trying to attract talented people. The government must support the whole energy sector to get the skilled workforce needed for a green infrastructure programme.</p>
<p>Aside from T-levels, the government recently introduced a raft of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59010418">new skills programmes</a> targeted at young people. But they’re unlikely to increase social mobility or end long-term unemployment due to the speed at which they’ve been introduced into an education sector under pressure to recover from the pandemic. Currently, teachers and instructors have to use their own time and resources to secure placements and guarantees of work for students in industries that are also still reeling from the economic effects of COVID-19. The government, industries and education sector need to provide training programmes linked to career paths and supported by simplified funding structures. </p>
<p>The UN climate summit in Glasgow has been talked about as the last chance to save the planet by agreeing a fair transition from the fossil fuel era. A skilled workforce will be integral to pulling this off. Without it, failure to meet net zero seems inevitable, and so does a missed opportunity to transform the lives of communities around the UK.</p>
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<img alt="COP26: the world's biggest climate talks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424739/original/file-20211005-17-cgrf2z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong>This story is part of The Conversation’s coverage on COP26, the Glasgow climate conference, by experts from around the world.</strong>
<br><em>Amid a rising tide of climate news and stories, The Conversation is here to clear the air and make sure you get information you can trust. <a href="https://page.theconversation.com/cop26-glasgow-2021-climate-change-summit/"><strong>More.</strong></a></em> </p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170806/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Weir does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Wind turbines need building, heat pumps need installing – but Britain has a chronic skills shortage.John Weir, Research Associate in Talent and Skills, Energy & Environment Institute, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1671962021-09-03T06:18:24Z2021-09-03T06:18:24ZAustralia’s first offshore wind farm bill was a long time coming, but here are 4 reasons it’s not up to scratch yet<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419203/original/file-20210903-19-1lai5sh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C13%2C4479%2C2977&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After years of waiting, the federal government <a href="https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/taylor/media-releases/introducing-legislation-unlock-investment-offshore-energy-projects">finally introduced</a> Australia’s first offshore electricity legislation in parliament yesterday. The bill will establish a regulatory framework for the offshore wind industry, paving the way for more than ten proposed projects.</p>
<p>Australia’s wind resources are among the world’s best, comparable to the North Sea between Britain and Europe where offshore energy is an <a href="https://northsearegion.eu/northsee/e-energy/offshore-renewable-energy-industry-outlook-2030-and-beyond/">established industry</a>. In fact, <a href="https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/offshore-wind-key-to-australias-clean-energy-future/">research from July</a> found if all the proposed offshore wind farms were built, their combined energy capacity would be <a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">greater than</a> all of Australia’s coal-fired power plants. </p>
<p>But Australia’s lack of legal framework has meant we’re yet to commission our first offshore wind farm. </p>
<p>The new legislation took years of stakeholder anticipation leading to public consultation in <a href="https://consult.industry.gov.au/offshore-exploration/offshore-clean-energy-infrastructure/">2020</a>, but upon first reading one is left a little wanting. We find four reasons the bill isn’t up to scratch yet, from its inadequate safety provisions to vague wording around Native Title rights and interests.</p>
<h2>A huge opportunity</h2>
<p>The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/files/irena/agency/publication/2019/oct/irena_future_of_wind_2019.pdf">identifies offshore wind</a> as key in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, calling for the world’s offshore wind capacity to increase ten-fold, to 45 gigawatts per year by 2050. </p>
<p>In line with IRENA’s position, many of Australia’s trading partners have ambitious targets for offshore wind, including the UK, US, European Union, Korea and Japan. For example, the UK’s target is to reach a total of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-make-uk-world-leader-in-green-energy">40 gigawatts</a> of offshore wind energy by 2030.</p>
<p>This new bill is Australia’s attempt to join its partners. It will give offshore electricity projects the framework for construction, operation, maintenance, and more. </p>
<p>One project, for example, is the <a href="https://www.starofthesouth.com.au/">Star of the South</a>, which plans to build an offshore wind farm off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria. This project has the potential to supply <a href="https://www.starofthesouth.com.au/project-overview">20% of the state’s energy needs</a>. Like Australia’s other <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/offshore-wind-farm-map-of-australia/">12 proposed offshore wind projects</a>, it has been waiting on an appropriate regulatory framework to go ahead. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wind-turbines-off-the-coast-could-help-australia-become-an-energy-superpower-research-finds-164590">Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds</a>
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<p>Offshore wind is essential to help Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions and create a sustainable and affordable electricity market. Indeed, the <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/ems/r6774_ems_cc98aab2-2ad3-4a63-a200-e17e715e7da5/upload_pdf/JC003413.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">explanatory memorandum that accompanies the bill</a> notes that if passed, the legislation will establish certainty that investors crave, potentially leading to billions of dollars worth of investment.</p>
<p>Wind energy infrastructure projects will also create thousands of jobs. <a href="https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/offshore-wind-key-to-australias-clean-energy-future/">Recent estimates suggest</a> the offshore wind industry could create as much as 8,000 jobs each year from 2030. The Star of the South alone <a href="https://www.starofthesouth.com.au/project-benefits">expects to create</a> 2,000 direct jobs in Victoria over its lifetime, including 200 ongoing local jobs. </p>
<h2>But the bill doesn’t go far enough</h2>
<p>This bill represents a first attempt to establish a world-class regulatory regime. But does it? </p>
<p>Well, first of all it didn’t get off to a good start. In 2020, the government committed to having the legislation settings and framework in place <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/offshore-wind-taylor-pushed-to-remove-regulatory-blocks-to-new-technology/">by mid 2021</a>. This target was not delivered. </p>
<p>And upon closer examination of the bill, we find critical omissions compared to best practice in North Sea jurisdictions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A ship outside turbines at sunset" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419199/original/file-20210903-26-158ls9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Offshore wind is essential to help Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p><strong>1. Weak protections for the environment</strong></p>
<p>To protect the environment, projects need to create a management plan that complies with requirements under the federal environment law. But this won’t ensure marine life is unharmed by enormous, noisy turbines. </p>
<p>According to a major, independent <a href="https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au/resources/final-report">review earlier this year</a>, Australia’s environment law is <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-excoriated-australias-environment-laws-sussan-leys-response-is-confused-and-risky-154254">outdated and flawed</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-major-report-excoriated-australias-environment-laws-sussan-leys-response-is-confused-and-risky-154254">A major report excoriated Australia's environment laws. Sussan Ley's response is confused and risky</a>
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<p>It only addresses <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/what-is-protected">select environmental issues</a>. The law is far too broad to deal with the unique requirements of offshore wind turbines, which Australian waters have never experienced before. </p>
<p>For example, under the bill’s broad management plan requirements, many environmental issues such as underwater noise and impacts on fish spawning would likely not be addressed.</p>
<p>Compare this to jurisdictions in the North Sea. In the UK, offshore wind projects require a thorough strategic environmental assessment, detailing all possible environmental impacts. </p>
<p><strong>2. Native Title holders lose out</strong> </p>
<p>Offshore energy project developers are prohibited from interfering with Native Title rights and interests. But the bill allows interference if it’s “necessary” for the for the “reasonable exercise” of project rights and obligations. </p>
<p>This raises a critical question — what is considered “necessary” and “reasonable”? </p>
<p>This vague wording could see projects go ahead <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-most-aboriginal-people-have-little-say-over-clean-energy-projects-planned-for-their-land-139119">when it conflicts with</a> Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their Native Title rights. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-aboriginal-people-have-little-say-over-energy-projects-on-their-land-139119">Why Aboriginal people have little say over energy projects on their land</a>
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<p><strong>3. Inadequate safety provisions</strong></p>
<p>Offshore wind energy development holds inherent risks, such as transporting and constructing wind turbine components in hazardous environments, which are often subject to extreme weather. Without a solid safety framework, construction may lead to injuries or deaths, similar to those that have <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/law/documents/002.20%20-%20Wiffa%20and%20Hunter.pdf">occurred in the North Sea</a>. </p>
<p>Under the new legislation, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) would be appointed as the offshore wind regulator. NOPSEMA would oversee safety using the generic Work, Health and Safety Act 2011.</p>
<p>But the bill says parts of the Work, Health and Safety Act will <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/ems/r6774_ems_cc98aab2-2ad3-4a63-a200-e17e715e7da5/upload_pdf/JC003413.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">need to be modified</a> so they’re “fit for purpose”. It would require extra provisions, exclusions and workarounds, making the assurance of structures difficult. </p>
<p>Compare this to offshore petroleum operations, which get a <a href="https://www.nopsema.gov.au/offshore-industry/safety">bespoke safety framework </a>, one NOPSEMA is already familiar with. Why isn’t one put in place for offshore wind farms?</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Construction of an offshore turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419202/original/file-20210903-13-17h3fi9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Offshore wind construction workers may have to deal with extreme weather, putting them at risk.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p><strong>4. It may leave the community behind</strong></p>
<p>In <a href="https://ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/Vindenergi/promotion_of_renewable_energy_act_-_extract.pdf">Denmark</a>, offshore wind turbines are located less than <a href="https://cms.law/en/int/expert-guides/cms-expert-guide-to-offshore-wind-in-northern-europe/denmark">16 kilometres</a> from the coastline. They’re obliged to offer at least 20% of ownership shares to local citizens.</p>
<p>But under Australia’s proposed bill, there are no explicit community benefit schemes. This is an important omission, because creating laws to increase community participation and engagement could reduce any risk of “not in my backyard” (Nimbyism) attitudes. It would also ensure hosting communities are actively involved early and frequently throughout the lifecycle of offshore wind projects.</p>
<p>In crafting best practice regulation coupled with community benefit schemes, the opportunities are limitless. A first step could be to create further public submission opportunities for communities to comment on the bill.</p>
<p>Offshore wind is our golden ticket to a reliable, affordable, and clean energy future. Investing in the offshore wind industry is a no-brainer for Australia, but it needs to be done right. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-100-renewables-target-might-not-mean-what-you-think-it-means-an-energy-expert-explains-160619">A '100% renewables' target might not mean what you think it means. An energy expert explains</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167196/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Madeline Taylor is a Climate Councillor at the Climate Council and is affiliated with ACOLA.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tina Soliman Hunter is affiliated with ACOLA</span></em></p>From its inadequate safety provisions to vague wording around Native Title rights and interests, the bill leaves us wanting.Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie UniversityTina Soliman Hunter, Professor of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1626182021-07-27T13:53:17Z2021-07-27T13:53:17ZOffshore wind turbines could number 30,000 by 2030 – new ideas in ocean engineering are needed to install them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413919/original/file-20210730-15-151xdvb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7680%2C4320&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-offshore-workers-on-top-windmill-1808741995">Dragancfm/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK is planning to install 40 gigawatts of offshore wind power <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-make-uk-world-leader-in-green-energy">by 2030</a> – enough to provide electricity to every home in the country. This would require 5,000 wind turbines – double the number installed offshore worldwide at the end of 2020. Current projections indicate 234 gigawatts of offshore wind energy will be <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-make-uk-world-leader-in-green-energy">installed globally by 2030</a>, which could mean around 30,000 turbines.</p>
<p>Green energy developers hope to exploit the faster winds that blow offshore and allow larger turbines to generate more electricity than their onshore equivalents. Supplying the equivalent of a UK home’s worth of electricity for <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-14/world-population-likely-to-begin-falling-after-2050-study-says">nine billion people by 2050</a> would require something like <a href="https://theconversation.com/floating-wind-farms-how-to-make-them-the-future-of-green-electricity-142847">half a million</a> offshore wind turbines. Besides the more than <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=FISH_FLEET">two million fishing vessels</a>, industrial activity in the ocean on this scale is unprecedented. Over the last 70 years, only around <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/offshore-energy-outlook-2018">5,000 offshore oil and gas rigs</a> have been installed at sea, and many of these have since been removed.</p>
<p>Developing oil and gas offshore has helped engineers learn how to design ocean structures that remain fixed in one place, far from land, for decades. As the world transitions from low numbers of oil and gas installations to large numbers of renewable energy devices, how engineers design in the ocean must evolve too. Just as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/09/its-unavoidable-we-must-ban-fossil-fuels-to-save-our-planet-heres-how-we-do-it">fossil fuel extraction must end</a>, so should the design philosophy which sustained this industry. That is, meeting narrowly defined human need and a high return on investment.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An offshore petroleum platform." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413343/original/file-20210727-590-7ll6tg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The end of an engineering era?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/petroleum-platform-oil-gas-sea-1687308844">SINCHAI_B/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Old design philosophies</h2>
<p>To make wind turbines work offshore, great technological advances have been made. Using remote sensors, engineers can precisely control the angle of 80 metre-long blades to maximise how much energy they generate, or prevent damage in bad weather. Steel tubes ten metres wide can be hammered vertically into the seabed to support wind turbines installed over vast areas.</p>
<p>Engineers are working to design yet bigger turbines, operating more efficiently and for longer, which can be installed further from shore, like <a href="https://theconversation.com/california-is-planning-floating-wind-farms-offshore-to-boost-its-power-supply-heres-how-they-work-163419">floating turbines</a> for waters deeper than 50 metres. All this innovation has been driven with one job in mind: making electricity. In common with the oil and gas industry (and most others), the prevailing design philosophy of offshore wind is to build something that achieves this purpose while meeting environmental and safety obligations for the lowest price.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/369797/original/file-20201117-13-180ibt9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>This story is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/oceans-21-96784">Oceans 21</a></em></strong>
<br><em>Our series on the global ocean opened with <a href="https://oceans21.netlify.app/">five in-depth profiles</a>. Look out for new articles on the state of our oceans in the lead up to the UN’s next climate conference, COP26. The series is brought to you by The Conversation’s international network.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>However, the price of offshore wind turbines, along with the price of most produced goods, overlooks a range of costs involved in the life cycle of the product. Turbines are <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/66861.pdf">up to 70% steel</a>, which is made from recycled or newly extracted <a href="https://www.resourcepanel.org/sites/default/files/documents/document/media/metals_status_report_full_report_english.pdf">iron</a>, which is processed from ores. These ores are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSWURwNC8dc">removed from rocks by blasting</a> causing disruption to the natural environment, and often from sites with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/28/more-than-100-aboriginal-sacred-sites-some-dating-before-the-ice-age-could-be-destroyed-by-mining-companies">cultural significance</a> to indigenous people. The mined ores are then transported by large trucks, crushed, refined, processed and shipped. </p>
<p>Whether it’s emissions from machines processing and transporting the ores or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344918302076">air and water contaminants</a> released during extraction, mining creates <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89567-9">pollution</a>. Converting the iron into steel also contributes to climate change. Globally, the iron and steel industry is responsible for <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-these-553-steel-plants-are-responsible-for-9-of-global-co2-emissions">11% of CO₂ emissions</a>.</p>
<p>Steel plates are shipped and then rolled into curved sections, people and machines weld these to <a href="https://owgp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/UK-OSW-Foundations-Strategic-Capability-Assessment-2019-v04.03-1.pdf">form long tubes</a>, which are loaded onto vessels, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDvS7tizetg">transported to sea</a> and assembled, processes which are largely powered by fossil fuels.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three wind turbine blades arranged on scaffolding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413342/original/file-20210727-18-11f5gb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wind turbine blades ready for transportation to an offshore windfarm in the Netherlands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/newly-constructed-wings-windturbines-ready-be-1676209075">Corlaffra/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The world needs more wind turbines, and fast. But clearly, the environmental and social consequences of making and installing them reduces their positive potential. Currently, the most ambitious designs seek to minimise these negative impacts.</p>
<p>Can we think deeper? Everything we engineer, whether it’s clothes, mobile phones or offshore wind turbines needs resources from Earth’s biological and physical systems, which are taken, made into these things we use everyday and then discarded as waste. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-economics-of-biodiversity-the-dasgupta-review">A landmark report</a> recently showed that this way of exploiting nature is outstripping its ability to recover.</p>
<p>What if, as well as building useful infrastructure for society, engineers sought to tie their work into ecological processes? We would need to shift our thinking from simply limiting damage to the natural world, to including its needs, so that we reciprocate and support the natural world as it supports us, and help regenerate these natural systems.</p>
<h2>Reimagining ocean engineering</h2>
<p>Design principles which aim to meet human needs alongside the needs of the planet have recently been applied successfully to <a href="https://doughnuteconomics.org/stories/1">city planning in Amsterdam</a>. Applying similar principles to planning in the ocean might start with a single question: what would it mean for both a windfarm and the habitat it is in to thrive? </p>
<p>In Sweden, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113620301239">study</a> found that redesigning the foundations of <a href="http://www.emec.org.uk/marine-energy/wave-devices/">wave energy installations</a> benefited brown crab populations. Simply adding holes in the structure provided shelter for the crustaceans. These foundations can also be designed to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352485520305363">cause seawater upwelling</a>, moving nutrients and food up from the deep sea for fish to feed on. Offshore structures could even <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/6-ways-remove-carbon-pollution-sky">suck carbon from the air</a>. These examples are just a glimpse of how the windfarms of the future could be designed to support life, both human and non-human.</p>
<p>Technology could help create new relationships between people and offshore windfarms. Apps and smart meters could show energy users how weather patterns and the environment influence the windfarms powering their homes. This could help them understand when it is good to use power and when it is less so, and to use just what is needed. </p>
<p>But what would it mean for the windfarm to support the wellbeing of people touched by each link in its supply chain? This provokes even more questions about how and where steel is sourced from and shipped, or how financial returns from the windfarm support workers to leave the fossil fuel industry as part of a just transition.</p>
<p>Ocean engineers must think ecologically to help species live and evolve through the difficult decades ahead. We will need to challenge the status quo, be open to collaboration and reimagine how we can work with the ocean.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162618/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Gourvenec receives funding from The Royal Academy of Engineering through their Chairs in Emerging Technologies Scheme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Sykes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Offshore renewable energy installations could provide so much more than just clean electricity.Susan Gourvenec, Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies - Intelligent & Resilient Ocean Engineering, University of SouthamptonRebecca Sykes, Adjunct Fellow in Ocean Engineering and Ecological Designer, University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1645902021-07-21T20:12:35Z2021-07-21T20:12:35ZWind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412326/original/file-20210721-23-1fyn92f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2995%2C1994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Offshore wind farms are an increasingly common sight overseas. But Australia has neglected the technology, despite the ample wind gusts buffeting much of our coastline.</p>
<p><a href="https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/projects/offshore-wind-potential-australia/">New research</a> released today confirms Australia’s offshore wind resources offer vast potential both for electricity generation and new jobs. In fact, wind conditions off southern Australia rival those in the North Sea, between Britain and Europe, where the offshore wind industry is well established. </p>
<p>More than ten offshore wind farms are currently proposed for Australia. If built, their combined capacity would be <a href="https://www.aer.gov.au/wholesale-markets/wholesale-statistics/generation-capacity-and-output-by-fuel-source-nem">greater than</a> all coal-fired power plants in the nation.</p>
<p>Offshore wind projects can provide a win-win-win for Australia: creating jobs for displaced fossil fuel workers, replacing energy supplies lost when coal plants close, and helping Australia become a renewable energy superpower.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="offshore wind turbine from above" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412324/original/file-20210721-27-jup4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s potential for offshore wind rivals the North Sea’s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The time is now</h2>
<p>Globally, offshore wind is booming. The United Kingdom plans to quadruple offshore wind capacity to 40 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/06/powering-all-uk-homes-via-offshore-wind-by-2030-would-cost-50bn">enough</a> to power every home in the nation. Other jurisdictions also have ambitious 2030 offshore wind targets including the European Union (60GW), the United States (30GW), South Korea (12GW) and Japan (10GW).</p>
<p>Australia’s coastal waters are relatively deep, which limits the scope to fix offshore wind turbines to the bottom of the ocean. This, combined with Australia’s ample onshore wind and solar energy resources, means offshore wind has been overlooked in Australia’s <a href="https://aemo.com.au/en/energy-systems/major-publications/integrated-system-plan-isp">energy system planning</a>. </p>
<p>But recent changes are producing new opportunities for Australia. The development of <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/giant-offshore-turbines-set-to-drive-plummeting-cost-of-wind-power/">larger turbines</a> has created economies of scale which reduce technology costs. And floating turbine foundations, which can operate in very deep waters, open access to more windy offshore locations.</p>
<p>More than ten offshore wind projects are proposed in Australia. Star of the South, to be built off Gippsland in Victoria, is the most advanced. Others include those off <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-01/companies-look-to-build-wind-energy-projects-off-wa-coast/100108572">Western Australia</a>, <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/two-massive-offshore-wind-farms-proposed-for-bass-strait/">Tasmania</a> and <a href="https://australis-energy.com/projects">Victoria</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="floating wind turbine" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412329/original/file-20210721-15-7wy8ng.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Floating wind turbines can operate in deep waters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">SAITEC</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Our findings</h2>
<p>Our study sought to examine the potential of offshore wind energy for Australia.</p>
<p>First, we examined locations considered feasible for offshore wind projects, namely those that were:</p>
<ul>
<li>less than 100km from shore</li>
<li>within 100km of substations and transmission lines (excluding environmentally restricted areas)</li>
<li>in water depths less than 1,000 metres.</li>
</ul>
<p>Wind resources at those locations totalled 2,233GW of capacity and would generate far more than current and projected electricity demand across Australia. </p>
<p>Second, we looked at so-called “capacity factor” – the ratio between the energy an offshore wind turbine would generate with the winds available at a location, relative to the turbine’s potential maximum output.</p>
<p>The best sites were south of Tasmania, with a capacity factor of 80%. The next-best sites were in Bass Strait and off Western Australia and North Queensland (55%), followed by South Australia and New South Wales (45%). By comparison, the capacity factor of <a href="https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/energy/resources/other-renewable-energy-resources/wind-energy">onshore wind turbines</a> is generally 35–45%. </p>
<p>Average annual wind speeds in Bass Strait, around Tasmania and along the mainland’s southwest coast equal those in the North Sea, where offshore wind is an established industry. Wind conditions in southern Australia are also more favourable than in the East China and Yellow seas, which are growth regions for commercial wind farms. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Map showing average wind speed" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412327/original/file-20210721-25-bn6tbn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=682&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Average wind speed (metres per second) from 2010-2019 in the study area at 100 metres.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Authors provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next, we compared offshore wind resources on an hourly basis against the output of onshore solar and wind farms at 12 locations around Australia. </p>
<p>At most sites, offshore wind continued to operate at high capacity during periods when onshore wind and solar generation output was low. For example, meteorological data shows offshore wind at the Star of the South location is particularly strong on hot days when energy demand is high. </p>
<p>Australia’s fleet of coal-fired power plants is ageing, and the exact date each facility will retire is uncertain. This creates risks of disruption to energy supplies, however offshore wind power could help mitigate this. A single offshore wind project can be up to five times the size of an onshore wind project.</p>
<p>Some of the best sites for offshore winds are located near the Latrobe Valley in Victoria and the Hunter Valley in NSW. Those regions boast strong electricity grid infrastructure built around coal plants, and offshore wind projects could plug into this via undersea cables. </p>
<p>And building wind energy offshore can also avoid the planning conflicts and community opposition which sometimes affect onshore renewables developments.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Global average wind speed" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412328/original/file-20210721-17-1rkxy2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Global average wind speed (metres per second at 100m level.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Authors provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/renewables-need-land-and-lots-of-it-that-poses-tricky-questions-for-regional-australia-156031">Renewables need land – and lots of it. That poses tricky questions for regional Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Winds of change</h2>
<p>Our research found offshore wind could help Australia become a renewable energy “superpower”. As Australia seeks to reduce its greenhouse has emissions, sectors such as transport will need increased supplies of renewable energy. Clean energy will also be needed to produce hydrogen for export and to manufacture “green” steel and aluminium.</p>
<p>Offshore wind can also support a “<a href="https://www.oecd.org/environment/cc/g20-climate/collapsecontents/Just-Transition-Centre-report-just-transition.pdf">just transition</a>” – in other words, ensure fossil fuel workers and their communities are not left behind in the shift to a low-carbon economy.</p>
<p>Our research found offshore wind could produce around 8,000 jobs under the scenario used in our study – almost as many as those employed in Australia’s offshore oil and gas sector. </p>
<p>Many skills used in the oil and gas industry, such as those in construction, safety and mechanics, overlap with those needed in offshore wind energy. Coal workers could also be re-employed in offshore wind manufacturing, port assembly and engineering. </p>
<p>Realising these opportunities from offshore wind will take time and proactive policy and planning. Our report includes ten recommendations, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>establishing a regulatory regime in Commonwealth waters</li>
<li>integrating offshore wind into energy planning and innovation funding</li>
<li>further research on the cost-benefits of the sector to ensure Australia meets its commitments to a well managed <a href="https://www.oceanpanel.org/">sustainable ocean economy</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>If we get this right, offshore wind can play a crucial role in Australia’s energy transition.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/super-charged-how-australias-biggest-renewables-project-will-change-the-energy-game-148348">Super-charged: how Australia's biggest renewables project will change the energy game</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164590/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sven Teske receives funding from the Blue Economy CRC. Penny Howard of the Maritime Union of Australia contributed to the research presented in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology received funding from the Blue Economy CRC and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union for the study on offshore wind.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Hemer works for CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, and is a research program leader for the Blue Economy Co-operative Research Centre. Funding for this work came from the Blue Economy CRC, CSIRO, Saitec Offshore, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Philip Marsh receives funding from the Blue Economy CRC, CSIRO, Saitec Offshore, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney received funding from the Blue Economy CRC and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Electrical Trades Union for the study on offshore wind.</span></em></p>More than ten offshore wind farms are currently proposed for Australia. If built, their combined capacity would be greater than all coal-fired power plants in the nation.Sven Teske, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyChris Briggs, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyMark Hemer, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIROPhilip Marsh, Post doctoral researcher, University of TasmaniaRusty Langdon, Research Consultant, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1607472021-05-11T22:37:33Z2021-05-11T22:37:33ZUS approves its first big offshore wind farm, near Martha’s Vineyard – it’s a breakthrough for the industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400085/original/file-20210511-17-2l1rmv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2995%2C1998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Building a U.S. offshore wind industry will require more than just fast-tracking permits. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/maintenance-boat-works-next-to-the-turbines-of-the-new-news-photo/81060050">Christopher Furlong/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off <a href="https://us.orsted.com/wind-projects">Rhode Island</a> and <a href="https://www.dominionenergy.com/projects-and-facilities/wind-power-facilities-and-projects/coastal-virginia-offshore-wind">Virginia</a>. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.</p>
<p>On May 11, 2021, the <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-approves-first-major-offshore-wind-project-us-waters">U.S. government issued the final federal approval</a> for the Vineyard Wind project, a utility-scale wind farm that has been over a decade in the planning. The wind farm’s developers plan to install 62 giant turbines in the Atlantic Ocean about <a href="https://www.vineyardwind.com/press-releases/2021/5/11/vineyard-wind-receives-record-of-decision">15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard</a>, Massachusetts, with enough capacity to power 400,000 homes with clean energy.</p>
<p>The project is the first approved since the Biden administration announced a goal in March to develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade and promised to accelerate the federal review process. To put that goal in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today. Vineyard Wind expects to add 800 megawatts <a href="https://www.vineyardwind.com/press-releases/2021/3/29/vineyard-wind-statement-on-the-biden-administrations-offshore-wind-jumpstart">in 2023</a>.</p>
<p>So, are we finally seeing the launch of a thriving offshore wind industry in the North America?</p>
<p><iframe id="Pparj" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Pparj/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Several wind farm developers <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities">already hold leases</a> in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest.</p>
<p>As engineering professors leading the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ik2Eb_oAAAAJ&hl=en">Energy Transition Initiative</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-kmuFo0AAAAJ&hl=en">Wind Energy Center</a> at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.</p>
<h2>Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump</h2>
<p>Vineyard Wind had <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/06/vineyard-wind-is-one-step-closer-to-construction-will-anything-else-get-in-the-way/">planned to begin construction</a> in 2019, but a ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it. The ruling cast a shadow over other wind farm plans and hopes for an U.S. offshore wind industry.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/06/vineyard-wind-is-one-step-closer-to-construction-will-anything-else-get-in-the-way/">agency ruled</a> that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Map showing lease areas off U.S. Atlantic Coast, from Virginia to Massachusetts" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas off the East Coast.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/oil-gas-energy/Renewable_Energy_Leases_Map_Book_March_2021_v2.pdf">BOEM</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.973483">urge planners to take this perspective</a>.</p>
<p>But thinking carefully about a far future with several wind farms does not <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2017.11.026">justify blocking the first utility-scale wind farm</a> now. That first large wind farm will be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on the region’s marine wildlife. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly. </p>
<h2>Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?</h2>
<p>Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.</p>
<p>A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies also must approve offshore wind farm plans, and the communities where cables come ashore have a say. </p>
<p>Many of the Northeastern states, including Massachusetts, have their own <a href="https://ieefa.org/state-mandates-to-drive-12-5gw-of-new-wind-solar-capacity-in-new-england-region-by-2030-sp/">offshore wind energy goals</a>, so they’re likely to support wind farms. But some wealthy communities and the fishing industry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.005">have pushed back</a> <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/12/cape_wind_opposed_by_bill_koch.html">on wind power</a> in the past. Vineyard Wind’s developers worked with community groups and fishermen from the region and <a href="http://mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-applauds-federal-approval-of-vineyard-wind-project">agreed to compensate</a> them for potential revenue losses. </p>
<p>The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/03/offshore-wind-development-federal-permitting-program-challenges/">government conducts reviews</a> and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.04.044">take five to six years</a> or more.</p>
<h2>Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?</h2>
<p>Some other big questions revolve around construction.</p>
<p>Under a 1920 law known as the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/jones_act">Jones Act</a>, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law <a href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/congress-ensures-the-jones-act-will-cover-u-s-offshore-wind-sector">applies to wind turbine construction</a>, too.</p>
<p>When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use <a href="https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/jones-act-quandary-fails-to-slow-us-offshore-wind-momentum.html">special vessels</a> for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The <a href="https://gcaptain.com/new-details-on-first-jones-act-compliant-wind-turbine-installation-vessel/">first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built</a> in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Illustration compares the wind turbine side to famous buildings. It's taller than the Washington Monument, just shy of the Eiffel ower" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400149/original/file-20210511-19-1izqiw4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vineyard Wind’s plan uses one of the world’s largest turbines, GE’s Haliade-X, to reduce the number of turbines needed. Each has a capacity of 13 megawatts and blades the length of a football field.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine">GE</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.</p>
<p>A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/08/21/offshore-wind-firms-agree-to-33m-in-leases-for-ne.html">terminal in New Bedford</a> to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/17/new-jersey-will-soon-be-home-to-a-major-offshore-wind-port.html">new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022</a>, and Delaware has been <a href="https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/delaware-port-growing-wind-farm-industry/">considering one</a>.</p>
<p>States are also investing in training. New York state announced a US$20 million <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2021-Announcements/2021-01-13-SUNY-NYSERDA-Launch-Offshore-Wind-Training-Institute">offshore wind training institute</a> in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers. The Biden administration envisions <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">44,000 people employed</a> in offshore wind by 2030, and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity.</p>
<h2>Costs and benefits of offshore wind</h2>
<p>In Europe, where many governments have <a href="https://english.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2017/05/Factsheet%20Driving%20down%20offshore%20wind%20costs%20the%20Dutch%20way.pdf">reduced regulatory risks</a> to the industry, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.135">cost of offshore wind energy</a> has come down <a href="https://rdcu.be/ciK53">much faster than experts expected</a>, to around <a href="https://windeurope.org/about-wind/statistics/offshore/european-offshore-wind-industry-key-trends-statistics-2019/">$50 per megawatt-hour</a>. If the Biden administration’s new approach allows U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.</p>
<p>It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7667">hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits</a>. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">avoid 78 million metric tons</a> of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator">17 million</a> cars off the road for a year.</p>
<p><em>This article updates a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-us-just-set-ambitious-offshore-wind-power-targets-what-will-it-take-to-meet-them-158136">version</a> published March 31, 2021.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160747/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Baker receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Sloan Foundation</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Lackner receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.</span></em></p>The Biden administration has a goal of getting from today’s 42 megawatts of offshore wind power to nearly 30,000 by the end of the decade, but there are still obstacles ahead.Erin Baker, Professor of Industrial Engineering Applied to Energy Policy, UMass AmherstMatthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1581362021-03-31T12:15:23Z2021-03-31T12:15:23ZThe US just set ambitious offshore wind power targets – what will it take to meet them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392633/original/file-20210330-13-v6c48v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C4%2C2991%2C1989&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Building a U.S. offshore wind industry will require more than just fast-tracking permits. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/maintenance-boat-works-next-to-the-turbines-of-the-new-news-photo/81060050">Christopher Furlong/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off <a href="https://us.orsted.com/wind-projects">Rhode Island</a> and <a href="https://www.dominionenergy.com/projects-and-facilities/wind-power-facilities-and-projects/coastal-virginia-offshore-wind">Virginia</a>. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">Biden administration announced</a> on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just <a href="https://eerscmap.usgs.gov/uswtdb/viewer/#8.69/41.1532/-71.6798">42 megawatts</a> today.</p>
<p>Several wind farm developers <a href="https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities">already hold leases</a> in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional funding be enough to finally launch a thriving offshore wind industry? </p>
<p><iframe id="d8o1r" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/d8o1r/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>As engineering professors leading the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ik2Eb_oAAAAJ&hl=en">Energy Transition Initiative</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-kmuFo0AAAAJ&hl=en">Wind Energy Center</a> at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, we have been closely watching the industry’s challenges and progress. The process could move quickly once permitting and approvals are on track, but there are still obstacles.</p>
<h2>Why offshore wind plans stalled under Trump</h2>
<p>Vineyard Wind, which is likely to become the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, had <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/06/vineyard-wind-is-one-step-closer-to-construction-will-anything-else-get-in-the-way/">planned to begin construction</a> in 2019 about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard. A ruling by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management under the Trump administration stalled it, and also cast a shadow over other wind farm plans.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/06/vineyard-wind-is-one-step-closer-to-construction-will-anything-else-get-in-the-way/">agency ruled</a> that the developers needed to address what is called “cumulative impacts” – what the East Coast will look like when there are not one or two, but 20 or 40 large-scale wind farms. That part of the U.S. coast is ideal for wind power because of its wide, shallow shelf and proximity to cities that are looking for renewable electricity to reduce their climate impact.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Map showing lease areas off U.S. Atlantic Coast, from Virginia to Massachusetts" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392476/original/file-20210330-13-3xdgfl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Developers already hold wind energy leases for several areas off the East Coast.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/oil-gas-energy/Renewable_Energy_Leases_Map_Book_March_2021_v2.pdf">BOEM</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many researchers studying offshore wind, including some of our colleagues, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.973483">urge planners to take this perspective</a>. But, thinking carefully about the far future does not <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221717310378?casa_token=ecVLT3PJHUcAAAAA:UG14kdaZ44nIQ-CQG8ORoAtMCzmZzeVU3s5s_dFSNaJcZvImX8MG6QcFy2BctxK5GY5TLC9DfQ">justify a delay in the first utility-scale wind farm</a>. </p>
<p>That first large wind farm should be an opportunity to learn, including about how wind turbines will interact with marine ecosystems. Right now, there is almost no data on the impacts of offshore wind on marine wildlife – birds, bats, whales, fish – especially on wildlife that is native to New England. The knowledge gained will be invaluable in moving forward responsibly.</p>
<h2>Is fast-tracking federal approvals enough?</h2>
<p>Speeding up federal approvals for offshore wind farms is an important first step, but those aren’t the only hurdles for offshore wind farm developers.</p>
<p>A large number of state environmental and coastal agencies still must approve, and the communities where cables come ashore will also have a say. Many of the Northeast states have their own <a href="https://ieefa.org/state-mandates-to-drive-12-5gw-of-new-wind-solar-capacity-in-new-england-region-by-2030-sp/">offshore wind energy goals</a>, so they’re likely to support wind farms, but some wealthy communities and the fishing industry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.005">have pushed back</a> <a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/12/cape_wind_opposed_by_bill_koch.html">on wind power</a> in the past.</p>
<p>The federal approval process, even fast-tracked, is also time-consuming. The <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2020/03/offshore-wind-development-federal-permitting-program-challenges/">government conducts reviews</a> and requires site assessment plans, including geological, environmental and hazard surveys. From planning to construction, the entire process can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.04.044">take five to six years</a> or more. </p>
<h2>Is the US ready to build offshore turbines?</h2>
<p>Some other big questions revolve around construction.</p>
<p>Under a 1920 law known as the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/jones_act">Jones Act</a>, only U.S.-registered vessels operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents can move cargo between U.S. ports. In December 2020, Congress made clear that this law applies to wind turbine construction, too. </p>
<p>When companies build offshore wind turbines today, they use <a href="https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/jones-act-quandary-fails-to-slow-us-offshore-wind-momentum.html">special vessels</a> for the installation of the most common offshore turbine designs. The U.S. doesn’t have any of these vessels yet, and the Jones Act makes it difficult to rely on vessels from Europe to do the job. There is promise, though: The <a href="https://gcaptain.com/new-details-on-first-jones-act-compliant-wind-turbine-installation-vessel/">first U.S.-made version of this vessel is being built</a> in Texas right now. That’s one – the country will need several to meet the new goal.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="World map highlighting coastal areas by wind speed. The U.S. coasts stand out." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392483/original/file-20210330-25-4nxqz2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Areas with the highest average offshore wind speeds aren’t necessarily the best wind farm locations. The depth of the water and proximity to cities are also important.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global-Offshore-Wind-Potential-WBG-ESMAP.png">World Bank/ESMAP</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A thriving wind power industry will also need ports for storing and deploying the long turbine blades, plus a trained workforce for construction and turbine maintenance.</p>
<p>A few coastal states have a head start on this. Massachusetts started laying the groundwork early and already has a port <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2020/08/21/offshore-wind-firms-agree-to-33m-in-leases-for-ne.html">terminal in New Bedford</a> to support the construction and deployment of future offshore wind projects. New Jersey recently announced a plan for a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/17/new-jersey-will-soon-be-home-to-a-major-offshore-wind-port.html">new offshore wind port that will start construction in 2022</a>.</p>
<p>States are also investing in training. New York state announced a $20 million <a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2021-Announcements/2021-01-13-SUNY-NYSERDA-Launch-Offshore-Wind-Training-Institute">offshore wind training institute</a> in January 2021 with the goal of training 2,500 workers for the industry and maintenance. The Biden administration envisions <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">44,000 people employed</a> in offshore wind by 2030 and many more in communities connected to offshore wind power activity. </p>
<h2>Will offshore wind pay off?</h2>
<p>In Europe, where many governments have <a href="https://english.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2017/05/Factsheet%20Driving%20down%20offshore%20wind%20costs%20the%20Dutch%20way.pdf">reduced regulatory risk</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.135">cost of offshore wind energy</a> has come down rapidly, much faster than experts expected, to around <a href="https://windeurope.org/about-wind/statistics/offshore/european-offshore-wind-industry-key-trends-statistics-2019/">$50 per megawatt-hour</a>. If the Biden administration’s new approach allow U.S. wind farms to achieve costs like this, then offshore wind, with its proximity to large urban centers on the East Coast, will be competitive.</p>
<p>It’s also important to recognize other benefits. Every year of delay for a large-scale wind farm costs the U.S. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7667">hundreds of millions of dollars in climate benefits</a>. The Biden administration calculates that its new wind power goal would <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/">avoid 78 million metric tons</a> of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to taking <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator">17 million</a> cars off the road for a year.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158136/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Baker receives funding from NSF and Sloan Foundation </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Lackner receives funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.</span></em></p>To increase renewable energy use, the Biden administration wants the US to go from seven offshore wind turbines today to enough to power 10 million homes within a decade.Erin Baker, Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, UMass AmherstMatthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.