Reducing the cost of UK offshore wind to £100/MWh (€120/MWh) is possible if a 'concerted campaign' is put in place, the head of project delivery at offshore energy services firm SeaEnergy said today.
Speaking at Scottish Renewables’ offshore wind & supply chain conference in Aberdeen, Donald Brown said 'five quick wins' are available to the industry to achieve the UK government's goal of cutting the levelised cost of energy generated from offshore wind farms by more than a quarter to £100/MWh or less by 2020.
They include improving projects' cycle times and reaping the benefits of cluster synergies. Establishing supply chain clusters around the Thames estuary, Firth of Forth, The Wash and the Irish Sea could also provide scope for collaboration, consolidation and cost savings, he added.
Optimising the life-cycle supply chain by examining the linkages and inter-dependencies that exist, and embracing knowledge transfer across the supply chain and between projects, were two other 'quick wins' he identified. Lastly, encouraging standardisation and best practice could significantly improve operations and maintenance, Brown concluded.
The Crown Estate's Pathways study last June found that either rapid industry growth, supply chain efficiency or technology acceleration would deliver an energy cost of no more than £100/MWh by 2020.
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