Wind turbines harness the energy of moving air to rotate the blades and generate electricity. Onshore wind refers to the turbines found on land, while offshore turbines tend to be located far out at sea, such as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC).
Onshore wind plays an important part in the generation of clean, renewable energy in the UK, with 34,688 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity generated in 2020. This was an increase of 51% over the previous 5 years.
Interesting Facts
- The UK currently has 1,500 operational onshore wind farms
- Windmills have been in use since 2000 B.C. and were first developed in Persia and China
- The UK has installed over 13 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity
- China has the world’s largest onshore wind farm with a capacity of 7,965 megawatt (MW), which is five times larger than its nearest rival
- In 2020, the UK generated 75,610 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity from both offshore and onshore wind. This would be enough to power 8.4 trillion LED light bulbs
- The global capacity from onshore wind energy applications is projected to reach nearly 750 GW by 2022
Opportunities
- Onshore wind is currently the cheapest form of renewable energy available in the UK at around 8p / kWh
- Onshore turbines can be built very quickly, going from the installation phase to producing electricity to the grid in a matter of months
- There are over 7,000 onshore wind turbines installed in the UK, with this number set to rise
- If current growth momentum is sustained, wind power will produce enough electricity to meet one-third of global energy demands by 2050
- Wind energy accounts for over 40% of new capacity in the US, representing an annual investment of $13billion
- As the technology is improved turbines will become far more efficient, meaning the cost to produce the electricity will continue to fall
Challenges
- Wind turbines are not completely green as some emissions are produced in their manufacture and installation
- People who live in close proximity to wind turbines regularly complain about the associated noise. The turbines can produce around 105 dB(A) at their base – about as loud as a garden lawnmower
- Additionally, they are regularly criticised for being unsightly and ruining places of natural beauty. This can be amplified by the fact that they are often spread over larger areas
- Wind turbines produce electricity intermittently, meaning they are not always producing power. However, as energy storage technology is improved, excess electricity can be stored during periods of low demand for later use
Offshore Wind Energy
The cost of new offshore wind has fallen dramatically over the last few years. It is now one of the lowest cost options for new power in the UK and is now cheaper than new gas and nuclear power.
Interesting Facts
- The UK has the largest offshore wind farm in the world, which is located off the coast of Yorkshire
- Having decreased in price in recent years, offshore wind is on course to be the cheapest source of large scale, low carbon energy generation
- Wind energy generation accounted for 24% of total electricity generation in 2020; with offshore wind accounting for 13%
- The UK has installed more offshore wind capacity than any other country, enough to power the equivalent of more than 18 million homes
- Over 600 companies employing 11,000 people are active in the sector
- Investment in new UK offshore wind capacity from now until 2021 set to total £18bn
- Employment in offshore wind in the UK has increased significantly since 2015, with 7,200 full-time equivalent employees in 2019
Opportunities
- Offshore wind is seen as critical to delivering the UK’s future low carbon economy and meeting climate change obligations.
- The industry has published a vision of delivering 30GW – approximately four times what we have today and approximately 30% of the UK’s total energy requirements, by 2030.
- The target is for the industry to employ 27,000 people and increase exports fivefold to £2.5bn per annum by 2030.
- Huge opportunity for UK supply chain companies to bring innovative products and services to market to meet the growing demand, both in the UK and internationally.
Challenges
- Complex design process.
- Need for increased standardization across the industry.
- To help improve installation, operations, and ongoing maintenance, offshore wind farms still need to become less sensitive to weather fluctuations.
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