Offshore Wind Power: The European Experience

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Offshore Wind Power The European Experience

• Bill Bulpitt, Mary Hallisey Hunt, Susan Stewart
• Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute
• Southeast Regional Offshore Wind Power Symposium
• February 27, 2007

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Offshore Wind Deployment in Northern Europe

• Two phases
• Series of small demonstration projects built in
  sheltered shallow water (1991 1999)
• Larger projects of increasingly commercial nature
  built in more challenging situations (between
  2000 present)

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European Experience
www.offshorewindenergy.org
red (built Mm windturbines), purple(built
small windturbines), blue(under construction),
grey(planned)
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European Wind Farms
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(cont.) European Wind Farms
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Offshore Wind Development Drivers

• Europe imports 50 of energy needs
• Projected to be 70 within two decades if changes
  not implemented
• Looking for indigenous energy source free of
  social economic disadvantages associated with oil
  and gas
• Kyoto

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Onshore Market Limited

• Less land available
• Greater and more consistent resource available
  offshore

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European Policy Instruments

• Feed in Tariff
• Bidding
• Green Certificates
• Green Pricing

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Main Instrument Feed-in-Tariff

• Guaranteed (by law) power purchase price to be
  paid by local utility
• Ex. Germany
• Fixed Tariff 6-8 cent/kWh, depending on
  location (offshore up to 9 cent/kWh)
• Pool price 3-4.5 cent/kWh
• Wind costs 5-6 cent/kWh _at_ 6-7 m/s
• Utilities have to pay feed-in tariff and have to
  connect

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Instrument Fixed Quotas Combined with Green
Certificate Trading

• Government introduces fixed quotas for power
  retailers
• Producers of renewable power receive certificates
• Retailers must buy certificates
• A market for renewable power is created!
• Netherlands, Sweden, UK, etc.
• (Similar to Renewable Energy Portfolio)

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Policy Drivers

• Shared agenda across governments departments
  instrumental in successful policy development
• Stable framework supported start-up incentives
  for projects and encouraged investment

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Why Offshore Wind Advanced

• Ultimately, onshore wind will face practical and
  social limits
• Potential capacity factor that can be achieved is
  much greater offshore
• Offshore incentives and government pressure to
  fulfill alternative energy targets

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Motivations Vary by Country

• Denmark
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Belgium

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Policy Synthesis

• Danish experience most advanced 20 of
  electricity generated from wind
• Other countries proceeded in parallel, not
  replicating Denmark, but meeting their own
  socio-political demands
• As yet, no formal attempt to benchmark
  experiences in offshore wind, but some common
  themes emerging

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Common Themes in Offshore Wind

• Stable policy framework
• Provides incentive and encourages investment
• Plan for identifying strategically important
  locations
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
  Directive was established by the European Union
  in 2001
• Initial efforts need targeted support measures
  from government
• Absence of specific market for offshore wind has
  not prevented offshore wind projects, but it has
  caused delays

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Danish Offshore Wind - Key Environmental Issues

• Study based on 8 years of scientific research at
  two largest offshore wind farms in worlds (Horns
  Rev Nysted)
• Pre and post construction studies conducted

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Overview of the Danish Monitoring Program

• Sea mammals harbor porpoises and seals
• Fish
• Birds
• Hydrography
• Coastal effects
• Artificial reef effects

• Socioeconomics
• Community acceptance
• Noise emissions
• Temp. gradients around cables
• Electromagnetic fields
• Benthic fauna
• Viewshed

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Results of Danish Study

• Attitudes in neighboring coastal communities
  largely positive
• Support growing as pre-construction worries of
  drop in tourism have evaporated as people
  realized this had not occurred after the wind
  turbines were in view
• Virtually no negative impacts to birds, marine
  mammals or fish
• Strong avoidance behavior of birds

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European Offshore Wind Project Detail
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Arklow Bank Arklow, Ireland
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Project Statistics

• Turbines 3.6MW x 7
• Depth of piles 35-45m
• Weight of piles 280tonne (5m diameter)
• Weight of turbines 290tonne
• Blades 50.5m, 15tonne each
• Nacelle/Hub height 73.5M
• Rotational speed 8.5 15 rpm
• Distance offshore 10km
• Onshore cable 5km
• Voltage 38kV distribution connected
• Rotor diameter 104m gt soccer pitch area
• 25MW serves 16,000 households (Irish)
• Sandbank 24 miles long 2.5 wide, depths 3 -20 m
• Largest commercially operating turbines installed
  to date
• Largest consented offshore site todate

Source McAdam
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Arklow Bank Site Details

• 60 km south of Dublin
• 7 - 12 km from coast
• 24 km long 2.5 km wide

Arklow
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Arklow Cable Routing
Source Airtricity
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Arklow Sand Characteristics
Source Airtricity
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Arklow Turbine FoundationSource Airtricity
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Scroby Sands WindfarmNorfolk, England
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Scroby Sands

• Country United KingdomLocation East Anglian
  Coast, 3km east of Great YarmouthTotal Capacity
  60 MWNumber of Turbines 30Distance to Shore
  2.5 kmDepth 4-8 mCapital Costs about 110
  million EuroStatus BuiltConstruction Date
  2003Manufacturer VestasTotal Capacity 2
  MWTurbine-type V80 - 80m diameter/ 60m
  hubheightMean Windspeed 7.5 m/s Windfarm
  Developer E.ON UK

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Siemens/BonusPrototype Factory
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Wind Facility Locations
Siemens Facility Locations
Hovsore
Brande
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Horns Rev Wind FarmDenmark
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Horns Rev

• Country DenmarkLocation West CoastTotal
  Capacity 160 MWNumber of Turbines 80Distance
  to Shore 14-20 kmDepth 6-12 mCapital Costs
  270 million EuroStatus Operational
  Construction Date 2002 Manufacturer
  VestasTotal Capacity 2 MWTurbine-type V80 -
  80m diameter / 70m hubheightMean Windspeed 9.7
  m/sAnnual Energy output 600 GWhWindfarm
  Developer Elsam http//www.hornsrev.dk/Engelsk/d
  efault_ie.htm

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Thank You

• bill.bulpitt_at_energy.gatech.edu
• mary.hunt_at_energy.gatech.edu

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Supporting Information
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Denmark

• Government in power from 1991-2001
  (Social-Democratic) had strong environmental
  agenda
• A Public Service Obligation was realized by the
  (then) nationalized utilities
• Action Plan for offshore wind was published in
  1997 after realizing onshore sites were limited
• In 1999, electricity liberalization caused a
  rethinking of the way utilities in a now
  competitive market developed wind farms
• A public tender for construction was introduced
  and put forward by the new conservative coalition
  in 2001

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Germany

• Under a feed-in tariff, offshore wind receives a
  higher per kWh price than onshore wind
• this will begin decreasing 2 per year in 2008
• Stable framework conditions and expected cost
  reductions were commended by developers
• Environmental and employment benefits were
  highlighted to public

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United Kingdom

• Wide belief that offshore wind would be necessary
  to meet government targets for limiting fossil
  fuel production
• Government sought to provide a national framework
  via the Crown Estates Round 1 in call for
  offshore wind farms December, 2000
• Industry response to Round 1 was higher than
  expected
• Government support of Round 2 was more pro-active
  and supportive of offshore wind

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Ireland

• Similar to UK in terms of first priority was to
  develop a framework for offshore wind
• Government developed a consent regime based on
  existing legislation
• Progress slow due to grid constraints, limited
  specified market, and no political preference for
  offshore wind
• New feed-in tariff may promote progress

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Belgium

• Utilities obligated to procure renewable energy
• Progress due primarily to superior offshore wind
  resource potential