Last-week’s decision to give the go-ahead to the London Array offshore wind farm was a welcome boost to a renewables industry that has been hit hard by the economic downturn
Scheduled for completion in 2012, and costing around £2bn to build,
the 1GW wind farm – the largest of its kind in the world – is expected
to generate enough energy to power around 750,000 homes.
Little surprise then that the government has been trumpeting the
scheme as the embodiment – and tip of the iceberg – of its vaulting
renewables ambitions.
If only this were accurate. In truth, this characterisation of the
project is a little wide of the mark, and while it may be full steam
ahead for the London Array the future for other wind schemes looks less
certain.
The London Array was saved at the last minute because UAE energy firm Masdar stepped
in when Shell pulled out. And, from Shell’s scaling back on wind and
solar power to the recent job cuts in BP’s solar business, there are
many other examples of energy majors turning away form investment in
renewables.
The green-light for the scheme has also highlighted some even more practical worries for the offshore wind industry.
In last month’s budget the financial mechanism that obliges
suppliers to source electricity from renewables was tweaked in favour
of offshore wind energy.
And while this has helped provide the impetus for the London Array
it has also increased fears regarding the turbine manufacturing
industry’s ability to meet demand.
Earlier this year, Siemens, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers
of wind turbines, revealed that it has a four-year waiting list for
some of its largest machines. Some fear the schemes like the London
Array could soak up all the available technology and leave project
managers on other schemes twiddling their thumbs for the next ten years.
Thus far, there is little sign that anything is being done to
address these fears, and many are suggesting that this bottleneck will
derail the UK’s goal to meet an ambitious 33GW wind energy target by
2020.
So while making wind energy more attractive to suppliers is one part
of the jigsaw, government must also do more to encourage the industry
that will actually turn its dreams to reality. The British Wind Energy Association recently
suggested that ministers should launch an all-out effort to convince
leading turbine makers to set up manufacturing plants in the UK. We
would suggest that unless something along these lines happens, schemes
like the London Array will remain the exception rather than the norm.
Source: The Engineer Online