The United Kingdom’s current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has promised to deliver even more offshore wind power if his Conservative Party are returned to power in the country’s impromptu election to be held December 12, promising to increase the 2030 offshore wind target from 30 gigawatts (GW) to 40 GW.
The latest UK renewable energy auction has awarded 12 projects, including 5.5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind projects, at record low prices as low as £39.65 ($50.05).
Europe installed a total of 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of new wind energy capacity across the first half of 2019, according to new figures published last week by the region’s wind energy trade body, WindEurope, including a total of 1,927 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy.
The next renewable energy auction in the United Kingdom could result in subsidy-free projects awarded contracts as next-generation offshore wind technology will serve to dramatically reduce costs.
The Global Wind Energy Council published its inaugural Global Offshore Wind Report this week, which shows that not only has offshore wind grown at an average of 21% each year since 2013, but that the sector could install an additional 200 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2030.
Provisional figures published by the UK Government on Thursday show that renewable energy sources generated a record amount of electricity in 2018, increasing by 11.8% over 2017 levels, led by a record year for wind energy generation which provided 17.1% of the UK’s electricity.
RenewableUK, the trade body for the wind and marine energy industries in the UK, launched a new industry group on Monday with the intention of developing a strategy for the large-scale deployment of floating wind technology.
A new $2.63 million joint UK-Chinese offshore wind research center was opened on Thursday in Yantai City, with its purpose to act as a leading renewable energy research and development center situated to support the growth of its two respective offshore wind industries.
Wind energy accounted for 35% of Great Britain’s electricity generation for the week running Friday 8 March to Thursday 14 March, beating out all other generation sources, and also saw offshore wind beat out nuclear energy.
The United Kingdom’s embattled Prime Minister, Theresa May, promised on Friday that “Brexit will not be a race to the bottom” for the country as she spoke at Danish energy giant Orsted’s offshore wind factory in Grimsby, heralding the importance of offshore wind to the future of the country a day after her government had launched its long-awaited Offshore Wind Sector Deal.
