This is the first blog in our ‘Spotlight: The UK Offshore Renewables Supply Chain’ campaign.
Offshore wind is one of the main renewable energy sources helping the UK tackle climate change. It’s clean, predictable, and sustainable, providing a reliable power source that is decarbonising the UK’s electricity supply. If we are to reach net zero, offshore wind must be one of the main vehicles for getting us there.
Offshore wind energy is power taken from the wind at sea and converted into electricity for people on land to use.
The UK is already Europe’s largest market for offshore wind and has invested billions of pounds in the technology. It has the largest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world, with 10GW currently in operation, and the UK Government is targeting four times that amount by 2030.
Demand for offshore wind is increasing. Not only is it a natural, renewable source of energy, it is cost-efficient, clean and creates jobs.
Here are some of the main reasons offshore wind power is the way forward.
There are lots of benefits to offshore wind energy, but there are challenges to overcome as we scale up significantly in the coming years, such as:
While there are challenges, expanding the potential of offshore wind is achievable, and necessary to create a cleaner, greener future for us all.
Find out how the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult helps to accelerate the creation and growth of UK companies in the offshore renewable energy sector here ore.catapult.org.uk/about/.