UK will push for more offshore wind energy

UK is currently the global leader in installed offshore wind power capacity, and plans to further strengthen this position by installing more offshore wind power capacity in years to come. Many UK energy experts are convinced that Britain's offshore energy is not only enough to satisfy Britain's energy needs but could also be exported to other countries.

Britain was once, not so long ago, a net energy exporter during the peak of oil and gas in the North Sea. North Sea could once again turn out to be a British energy haven, this time not because of oil and gas but because of offshore wind energy and other renewable marine technologies.

According to the latest study harnessing just over 75% of the available offshore energy resource would produce enough renewable power for the UK to power its own economy and export excess electricity to northern Europe. What this means is that offshore wind energy could become as important to Britain as the oil was during the peak period.

Achieving such growth of offshore wind power will not be easy. The primary reason is the fact that offshore wind farms are connected with high costs because they need to be linked with the continent, and to achieve this Britain needs to built lot more transmission lines.

Britain is already a member of North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative, a group consisting of nine countries that plan to develop an international "supergrid" allowing countries across northern Europe to import and export renewable electricity.

UK government has already announced major spending cuts but many energy experts are convinced that this rule will not apply to offshore wind power, and a lot talked about £60m plan to upgrade the North Sea ports that will support offshore wind farms should soon start its realization.

Offshore wind power, despite its huge potential, will have to decrease its high installation costs, and according to some latest findings and analysis the costs of offshore wind farms could decrease by as much as 40% by 2020, making offshore wind energy much more competitive with fossil fuels.

UK is currently attracting many companies that are ready to invest in new offshore wind energy projects. Offshore wind energy projects are currently, even despite the high costs, more popular compared to wind projects on land because they are less likely to face the planning objections that usually present a major stumbling block to onshore wind developments. The big plus is also the UK's well developed oil and gas industry with lot of qualified personnel who have the necessary experience, and are used to work in marine environments.