Why does it take so long to build an offshore wind farm?

Clean Energy Pod

On this episode of the Clean Energy Pod, powered by SSE, we chat with Paul Cooley, Director of Offshore Wind at SSE. We discuss why it takes so long to build an offshore wind farm. What changes are needed to meet the UK's net zero targets. And we talk about building the world's largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank.
This recording took place on Tuesday 2 July 2024, before the UK general election.

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Rozdziały

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. What is the world’s biggest offshore wind farm? (00:00:31)

3. How is offshore wind innovating? (00:02:16)

4. How do you install wind turbines offshore? (00:04:21)

5. What are the challenges to delivering these massive infrastructure projects? (00:05:29)

6. How long does an average offshore wind farm last? (00:06:54)

7. Why aren’t renewable technologies cheaper? (00:07:42)

8. Why is the UK a good place to build offshore wind farms? (00:09:01)

9. Do CFD auctions cost the public money? (00:10:28)

10. What role does government have to make sure companies invest in our energy system? (00:11:23)

11. How do we speed up the building of wind farms to lower costs? (00:12:31)

12. Why is it taking roughly 12 years build an offshore wind farm? (00:13:20)

13. Is the current planning system fit for purpose? (00:16:10)

14. Why is connecting to the energy grid a challenge? (00:16:45)

15. How can the UK deliver 50GW of offshore wind by 2030? (00:19:05)

16. Does the Contract for Difference (CFD) allocation round increase costs for the public? (00:23:01)

17. Why have costs gone up in recent years for building offshore wind farms? (00:23:25)

18. Are the costs of offshore wind competitive with other energy such as fossil fuels? (00:24:37)

19. What is floating offshore wind? (00:25:13)

20. How long will it take for floating offshore wind to become mainstream? (00:27:25)

21. Why is the east coast of the UK better for building offshore wind farms? (00:28:36)

22. Will the west coast of the UK and Ireland see more offshore wind farms in the future? (00:30:33)

23. What is the potential for offshore wind in Ireland? (00:31:13)

24. How did you end up in working in offshore wind? (00:33:06)

25. What are the opportunities for people interested in the renewable energy industry? (00:34:37)