SPONSORS OF EAST OF SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND’S OFFSHORE WIND STORY
Scotland has relied on the North Sea as a source of energy for more than forty years with the oil and gas sector reaping the benefits of the natural resources we have. While it is widely accepted that fossil fuels will one day run out, that doesn’t mean we will no longer be an energy rich nation. Wind, wave, tidal and hydro power provide a significant proportion of our needs and will continue to do so for many years. We have had a strong story to tell in terms of energy production in this country, but it’s time for a new chapter to begin, and offshore wind is about to make its big entrance.
Once again, Scotland will look to the hostile marine environments of the north seas to harness its energy, this time it’s not what’s under the seabed that counts but the wild winds that cut across it.
CURRENT OFFSHORE WIND SITUATION Currently there is 190 MW (megawatts) of offshore wind in operation – the Beatrice demonstrator project and Robin Rigg with another 10GW (gigawatts) of resource earmarked for development around the coast. 2012 has seen the industry take huge steps forward to delivering this, with applications being submitted from Neart na Gaoithe, SeaGreen MORL and BOWL. We now have almost 4.5GW in the planning system already. If all of this capacity became operational, offshore wind would overtake hydro power as the second largest contributor to renewable electricity in Scotland with onshore wind remaining the primary source. All going to plan, we hope to see the first of the new offshore turbines erected around 2014 and generating electricity before 2017.
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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