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Category: Climate Change

Powering up the UK’s offshore wind industry

Offshore wind has a crucial part to play in getting to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Sally Shenton explores the promise and practicalities of a growing industry, and looks at what needs to be done to unlock its huge potential.

The first two offshore turbines were installed off the coast at Blyth in 2000. Over the 19 years since, a new industry has developed, with turbines increasing in size and power output, plus a revolution in the ways they are operated.

The first commercial offshore turbines installed at Scroby Sands and North Hoyle were 2 MegaWatt (MW) machines based on onshore models with additional marinisation to protect them against salt water and the harsher environment. The latest turbines being planned for offshore sites are between 10 and 12 MW.

Financial support and falling costs

In the early days of the offshore wind industry, the cost of building and operating offshore wind farms was high. However, through a planned programme of financial support and a great deal of innovation and enthusiasm, offshore wind is now lower in cost than most other forms of energy.

Financial support initially took the form of the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation, which was used to part-fund the original Blyth turbines. This was soon followed by the Renewable Obligation (RO), which required electricity suppliers to include renewables in their mix, with the RO Certificate (or ROC) acting as evidence that suppliers met their renewable generation targets (the ‘obligation’). Offshore wind generators could sell ROCs to electricity supply companies to provide income in addition to the revenue received for the power they produced.

More recently, the RO regime has been replaced by a competitive auction to win ‘Contracts for Difference’ (CFD), which provide a way for power prices to be guaranteed in the long-term. Offshore wind developers can use the certainty of the CFD to borrow large amounts of money – often several billion pounds – which is needed to build an offshore wind farm.

This competitive approach coupled with larger turbines and growing experience has delivered the dramatic cost savings seen over the last few years: the cost of energy produced peaked around £150/MWh while in the next auction they are expected to be below £52/MWhr.

Developing technology

The importance of offshore wind in the future energy mix has been recognised by many, including governments and climate change activists, and it has been a real privilege to see the industry develop.

The world of offshore wind is full of amazing things. We have built electricity substations in the middle of the sea, used some of the largest crane ships in the world, we have created special boats to allow maintenance workers to safely transfer onto turbines and, for larger sites further from shore, we now use specially designed ships that allow technicians to live on-board for several weeks.

Once planning consent and finance is in place, offshore wind can be built quickly and used at scale. The UK is currently home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm at the Walney wind farm site off the coast of Cumbria. Yet this record is set to be beaten soon by another UK site, the Hornsea 1 construction, which is due to be finished in 2020; at 1.2GW its output is comparable to the large thermal power plants it will inevitably replace.

Rising to the Climate Emergency

Being in this industry at this time is exciting and it’s easy to get swept along in the wave of enthusiasm. We must celebrate our successes, but we should also remember the bigger picture. We are in a climate emergency and we need to move over to using zero carbon forms of energy production as soon as possible.

The current ‘Industrial Strategy’ – the deal done with the UK government – is aiming to bring a total of 30 GW into operation by 2030, which is one quarter of the capacity needed under CAT’s Zero Carbon Britain plan. So why are we not accelerating the number of wind turbines installed offshore? Despite installing nearly 3,000 offshore turbines, why are none manufactured in the UK? Why aren’t all communities close to offshore wind farm installations prospering? Why is the installation rate of offshore wind turbines falling? And why did the government introduce a cap on the amount of offshore wind that can be developed in the 2019 CFD auction no matter how cheap it is?

We are facing a Climate Emergency. Renewable energy offers a solution that is proven, quick to build and low cost compared with other new power plants. The Zero Carbon Britain energy model estimates that we will need to install around 9,000 more turbines around the coast of the UK. We will only do this quickly if we have a stable pipeline of projects with some form of income guarantee in place to ensure we can raise the finance needed – whether this is from banks, pension funds, local authorities or direct funding from government.

It is not easy to criticise the industry I love to be a part of, especially when I know how many individual engineers, offshore workers, designers, environmental specialists, planners, vessel skippers and many others have worked so hard to bring us to where we are today. It has not been an easy ride to get to this point – early offshore wind workers were ridiculed for moving out of the fossil fuel sector, worked long hours and kept going through periods where the industry faltered and struggled. We owe it to all these people and to the youth to accelerate our plans.

Speeding the transition to zero carbon

If we install at the fastest rate achieved in any year, it will take 24 years to install the 9,000 turbines needed in the Zero Carbon Britain model. If we go at twice this rate, then we could do it in 12 years – but it is not quite that simple.

We need to ensure the planning and development of projects keeps pace – it currently takes around 10 years to find sites, gain planning permission, then plan and build projects; the actual physical installation of the turbines, offshore substations and cables takes only 2-3 years of this.

We will also be building in increasingly challenging areas – challenging due to water depth, weather conditions, wildlife or visual impact. We need to make sure we place turbines in the right places, but we must make these decisions quickly and ensure that the pipeline of projects is secure so that we can give manufacturers the confidence to build factories in the UK. We need to improve our understanding of the impacts on wildlife – especially birds – and seek ways to protect populations as we build and install more turbines.

We also need to urgently accelerate the commercialisation of floating wind technology – an area in which the UK is currently a leader – so that we can build in deeper water that is further offshore. And we need to make sure improvements to the electricity grid do not hold us up.

There is a huge role for government to support the enabling work that underpins the growth of a new clean energy sector. There is more work to do to improve understanding of the underlying natural environment and set the right signals for investment in a new electricity grid infrastructure. We need to recruit and train more environmental and consenting experts if we are to avoid delays in bringing projects forward. We need to invest in our ports and manufacturing facilities to deliver jobs as well as turbines.

Challenges surround us, but I am filled with hope that these kinds of conversations are now happening and we gaining so much support from around the UK and the world. Take heart from the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The difference between what we are doing and what we are capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problems.”

About the author

Sally is Director of Generating Better Limited. She has worked in the offshore wind industry for over 12 years and has been in the electricity supply industry for her entire career. She now runs a consultancy that advises offshore wind investors, owners and operators, whilst supporting suppliers, industry bodies and universities.

January 29, 2020
Energy updates – modelling Zero Carbon Britain

The new Zero Carbon Britain report includes an updated energy scenario that takes into account changes in technology and progress in renewables as well as refinements to the hourly modelling that underpins the research. Philip James explains the key updates.

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January 28, 2020
Gearing up to support community level change

How can Zero Carbon Britain help with on-the-ground action? Hazel Graham introduces a pioneering project that’s having real impact at a local level and providing a template for others to follow.

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January 6, 2020
New report – Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency
A new Zero Carbon Britain report published today by CAT shows how the UK could cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero using only proven technology, and so do its part in addressing the climate emergency.

The report, Zero Carbon Britain: Rising to the Climate Emergency, models the changes to energy, buildings, transport, industry, diets and land use that could reduce energy demand by 60%, provide 100% renewable energy, and cut emissions from agriculture and industry whilst creating natural carbon capture through reforestation and peatland restoration.

This combination of ‘powering down’ energy use through increased efficiency and behaviour change, ‘powering up’ clean renewable energy supplies, and transforming land use could allow the UK to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions without relying on as yet unproven technologies, such as carbon capture and storage or direct air capture.

Project Coordinator Paul Allen said:

“Relying on speculative future technology to get to net zero risks overshooting the remaining carbon budget, resulting in the very real possibility of global temperature rises of 2°C or more.

“By modelling a zero carbon scenario using only technology that is ready to be rolled out at scale, CAT’s research shows that there is no good reason to take this risk. We have the technology to combat climate change, and we can start today.”

Powering down energy use

Changes to buildings, transport and industry could help to reduce UK energy demand by 60%. Key features of the Zero Carbon Britain model include:
- Buildings: having high ‘Passivhaus’ standards for new buildings, retrofitting all existing buildings, and improving internal temperature control could reduce energy demand for heating by around 50%.
- Transport: reducing how much we travel, and changing how we travel – with more use of public transport, walking, cycling, switching to efficient electric vehicles and two thirds less flying – could reduce energy demand for transport by 78%.
Powering up clean energy supplies

The report shows how it is possible to supply 100% of the UK’s ‘powered-down’ energy demand with renewable and carbon neutral energy sources, without fossil fuels or nuclear.

In the Zero Carbon Britain energy scenario:
- Many different renewable energy sources suited to the UK – solar, geothermal, hydro, tidal and others – are used to produce electricity and heat, with wind energy providing around half of the energy supply.
- Most of the energy in the scenario (around 66%) is provided as electricity.
- Carbon neutral synthetic fuels play an important role where it is not possible to use electricity – for example, in some areas of industry and transport, and as back up for the energy system.
Matching supply and demand

To ensure that energy is available at all times, CAT researchers looked at 10 years of real weather data to examine how much energy could be captured by renewable energy systems. By matching this to 10 years of energy demand patterns, adjusted to take account of the modelled energy savings, researchers were able to plan for possible shortfalls.

The hourly modelling shows a surplus of energy 74% of the time, with energy provided at other times by shifting demand using smart appliances and by storing energy.

Batteries, pumped storage and heat storage can be used for short-term energy storage over hours or days, whilst hydrogen and carbon neutral synthetic gas (which can be dispatched quickly into the electricity grid when needed) can be used for long-term energy storage over weeks or months.

Transforming land and diets

The report explores how dietary change (particularly switching from meat and dairy to plant-based proteins), food waste reduction and improved agricultural practices could help with the transition to zero whilst providing a healthy diet for the whole UK population.

Key features include:
- Reducing ‘on-farm’ greenhouse gas emissions by 57% from 2017 levels.
- Reducing UK food imports from 42% to 17%, and so reducing the impacts elsewhere in the world of food production for our consumption.
- Repurposing 75% of the land currently used for grazing livestock, freeing up space for a range of other uses, including doubling UK forest area and restoring 50% of UK peatlands to help mop up residual emissions.
Additional benefits

The report highlights the multiple additional benefits that these changes offer, including improvements to health and wellbeing via better diets, more exercise, improved air quality and a reduction in fuel poverty. Other benefits include the creation of green jobs and an increase in biodiversity both through tackling climate change and through freeing up land to allow nature to thrive.

CAT Chief Executive Officer, Peter Tyldesley said:

“CAT’s research shows how the UK could achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in a way that also helps improve our quality of life and enhances biodiversity. What’s now urgently needed is a UK Zero Carbon Action Plan with policy frameworks and large-scale investment to support the roll out of these solutions as quickly as possible.”
November 28, 2019
Time for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty

Half a century ago, faced with the threat of nuclear catastrophe, the world came together and agreed the nonproliferation treaty. Andrew Simms and Peter Newell argue that we now need to take the same approach to fossil fuels.

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September 16, 2019
Climate jobs

As we transition away from an economy based on fossil fuels towards zero carbon there is the potential for the creation of hundreds of thousands of new green jobs. Anne Chapman and Jonathan Essex of Green House Think Tank explore the opportunities for areas across the UK.

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September 14, 2019
Climate Strike!

This September, people across the world will join a global week of climate action in support of the school strikers. Clean Slate Editor Catriona Toms urges you to get involved.

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August 22, 2019
Jeremy Corbyn visits CAT to talk zero carbon solutions

Jeremy Corbyn MP visited CAT last week, along with Christina Rees MP, Eluned Morgan AM and Joyce Watson AM, to discuss practical, proven solutions to the climate emergency.

During the visit we gave an overview of our environmental research and education work, including a tour of the centre to see solutions in action.

CAT’s Paul Allen presents our Zero Carbon Britain research to Jeremy Corbyn

CAT Chair of Trustees Michael Taylor said: “Climate action requires ambitious targets and a clear plan for how to get to net zero as quickly as possible. We welcome the chance to discuss our research and education work with politicians from all the main parties, and we were pleased to have the chance to brief Mr Corbyn in person.”

Gardener Petra Weinmann gives Jeremy a taste of some of CAT’s home grown veg.

Later this year, CAT will launch a new Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab, which will support policymakers, political parties, industry leaders and community groups in turning climate emergency declarations into Zero Carbon Action Plans, helping to accelerate the transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Eileen Kinsman, CAT Head of Development said: “Over the past six months, we have seen a surge in requests for CAT’s expertise in helping train and advise communities and organisations in planning for zero carbon. We shared with Mr Corbyn our ambitious plans for expanding this work and for scaling up our education and training programmes to provide people with the skills, knowledge and networks to make a real difference in tackling the climate emergency.”

Eileen Kinsman presents plans for the Zero Carbon Hub and Innovation Lab.

Jeremy got hands-on experience of low impact building, practicing rammed earth techniques with our school holiday activities leader, Holly Owen and visiting families.

CAT is a registered educational charity and is politically neutral.

August 21, 2019
Old, cold and damp – how to improve traditional buildings

One in five UK buildings dates to before 1919, and they are often poorly insulated and difficult to keep warm and dry. We talked to conservation builder and CAT course tutor Nathan Goss to find out his top tips for making improvements to traditional buildings.

Why do pre-1919 buildings need to be treated differently from more recent builds?

Most traditional builds (pre-1919) were designed with solid wall construction of stone, brick or cob/clom, with no impermeable membranes or moisture barriers.

They rely totally on the breathability of materials and design, where moisture is soaked up by the structure then any excess moisture would be expelled rapidly avoiding any damage or decay to the building.

Not all pre-1919 buildings are given the protection afforded to a listed building but whether you are repairing a terrace house or a vernacular cottage the rules of traditional maintenance and repair are the same.

What are the common problems that people encounter with traditional buildings?

Damp is the most common problem I come across in traditional buildings; this varies in severity, from a damp patch on a wall to dry rot throughout a building.

The first step in assessing any suspected moisture damage in a traditional building is to examine the nature and distribution of the damage. Different moisture sources generally result in different patterns and types of damage. Broadly speaking, damage associated with liquid water is localised and severe, while that caused by microclimatic factors is more widespread and evenly distributed.

With some basic investigation, liquid water damage can be identified with a careful study of the building and its moisture drainage routes. The design of any successful building should enable rainwater deposited on the outer shell to be transported away to a safe location. If there is water damage on the internal surfaces, it suggests that either the design itself is faulty or the system is damaged. Signs of damage are not always internal; sometimes they are easily seen whilst examining the external envelope of the building.

Microclimatic investigation is more in-depth and scientific than liquid water investigation. In short, you need to understand the relationships between cold surfaces, humidity and condensation to control the indoor climate of a building. These can be measured using a thermal imaging camera and hygrometer.

Roof joist rotted due to a leak

So what’s the best way to keep a traditional building warm and dry?

It is possible to maintain old buildings, provided that excessive air infiltration and heat loss are reduced and reasonable ventilation is maintained.

Unfortunately, many people equate pre-1919 houses with memories of living in draughty, unheated cold spaces with no insulation and with sash windows that rattled in the wind and suffered from condensation in the mornings.

If this is your memory, then you were 100% correct but sadly you left one small detail out – the houses were not damp!

As air flow around the house was fantastic, moisture could move freely and evaporate at speed. When we start damp proofing, sealing up draughts and over-insulating buildings we begin to trap incoming and self-generated moisture within the structure, and this can lead to a number of problems.

It is possible to find the right harmony between air flow, heat loss and ventilation but every building has to be treated on its own merit. There are so many variables to take into consideration, like the size and use of the building, direction of prevailing weather, materials used in construction, window size, roof design, and so on. Generally, there is always a solution to be found; whether this is effective is usually down to whether the custodian of the building adheres to the changes.

You’ve been involved in restoring a lot of old houses – what are some of the common mistakes people make?

Over the past 30 years I have seen everything you can imagine from damp proof course injection to cement rendering and, worryingly, I can say that most of the problems stem from ill-informed home owners or unqualified contractors.

If I was to compile a top five list it would look something like this: 1. Cement pointing; 2. Cement rendering; 3. Damp proof course; 4. Non-breathable paints; 5. Non-breathable felt.

All of these can cause untold damage to your building. If a combination of these mistakes is found within a building then it’s not a question of ‘if’ the problems are going to start, it’s a question of ‘when’ and at what severity and scale.

What’s the first thing you would recommend to an owner of a traditional building that’s struggling with cold and damp?

My best advice for anyone that lives in or has just moved into a traditional building is to get to understand your home. It is essential to understand where the cold spots of the house are to reduce any chance of damp, to monitor the ventilation of the house and identify where heat loss may be occurring, and to keep an eye on the weather to see where the prevailing rain is coming from.

A great place to start is with maintenance – with all traditionally built structures there will be issues to deal with annually. Because these buildings rely on the evaporation of moisture to maintain their breathability then keeping all your gutters, downpipes and drains clear of foliage will help matters considerably.

One tip – if you see small white spots on your internal wall, then this may be the first sign of your building depositing ‘effervescent salts’, which usually occurs when a wall is holding moisture and cannot breathe. The heat within the house pulls the moisture inwards and as it dries beneath the internal paint surface it deposits salts, which eventually break through the paint.

Where can I find out more information on traditional materials and methods of use?

There is no excuse these days to use inappropriate materials on pre-1919 buildings as there are so many different options on offer from various sources around the UK, from lime mortar to more modern technologies like cork for insulation.

There is also a plethora of information available on the internet and from professional organisations such as Historic England, CADW, SPAB, IHBC and ICOMOS UK.

You will also find there are some really good material suppliers, such as ‘Ty Mawr Lime’ in Brecon, who will be more than happy to accommodate any questions and give out unbiased solutions to problems or point you in a direction where you can achieve the answers you are looking for.

Many old buildings have draughty windows leading to wasted heat energy – what solutions would you recommend?

One enduring myth is that old windows account for 20 per cent or more of the heat lost from a building.

Historic England has carried out a series of tests on historic buildings to determine heat loss. In all cases, the windows were of historical interest and none had been repaired or particularly well maintained. But when the tests were completed it was apparent that the amount of leakage from the windows was a lot lower than expected (10 to 15%). The real problem areas were often not visible to the eye and occurred in quite obscure parts of the building.

If you are adamant on change then firstly repair, refit or adjust the windows that you already have to minimise heat loss, then either look at replacing your curtains with a heavier material or introducing shutters or blinds.

You can save up to 10% of heat loss carrying out the methods above before contemplating double glazing.

If you really want to go for double glazing then try the slimline version, which may fit within your old window sashes or – in the worst case scenario – you may need to have new windows.

About the author

Nathan has over 30 years’ experience working in a variety of roles, all of which have involved carpentry and joinery, historic building surveying, project management, conservation and the restoration and consolidation of old buildings. He is currently working as a conservation buildings adviser for the Strata Florida Trust and restoring a wooden palace in Ethiopia.

CAT course

Nathan teaches CAT’s ‘Fix your Damp House’ course, which gives you an in-depth understanding of how to spot signs of damp and make the necessary improvements to your building. The course includes practical DIY sessions as well as classroom-based learning.

The next course takes place 21-22 September.

For details and to book your place, see our website or call us on 01654 704966.

July 31, 2019
New hub and innovation lab to share zero carbon solutions

A new Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab is being launched at CAT later this year to help communities, local authorities and policymakers to create Zero Carbon Action Plans, and to provide support for the development of innovative solutions.

In the past few months, as awareness of the urgency of action on climate change has grown, we have been inundated with requests from governments, political parties, councils, community groups and businesses, all wanting CAT’s help with drafting policies and plans that will turn climate emergency declarations and targets into on-the-ground action.

In July we secured a substantial gift from the Moondance Foundation that will allow a step-change in our ability to respond to these requests through the creation of a new Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab.

Support for climate emergency action planning

The Zero Carbon Britain Hub will provide a programme of support aimed at increasing the confidence, competency and effectiveness of policymakers, communities and organisations in developing Zero Carbon Action Plans tailored to their needs.

We will be offering participative training courses and events at CAT and in venues across the UK, as well as online training. These will include ‘train the trainer’ courses to allow people to share knowledge with their colleagues and communities.

Mentoring programmes and access to expert advice will help guide people through the process of developing and implementing Zero Carbon Action Plans, whilst an online platform will provide tailored digital resources to help support the journey to zero carbon.

A living laboratory for environmental solutions

Alongside this, a Zero Carbon Britain Innovation Lab at CAT will help unlock sustainable solutions to specific challenges.

From technical innovations to social and economic solutions, CAT’s new living laboratory will open up opportunities for researchers, entrepreneurs, businesses, governments, citizens, councils and foundations to work together to create innovative, proven, effective climate solutions.

In order to tackle complex problems like climate change we need solutions that work across a complex range of interacting areas; solutions that not only offer technical fixes but also help overcome political, cultural, economic and psychological barriers.

The Zero Carbon Britain Innovation Lab will: respond to key issues, priorities and tasks identified by the Zero Carbon Britain Hub; test and prototype solutions; and create routes into larger scale impact or systems change.

The Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab represents a real step-change in CAT’s ability to provide support, advice and solutions to help in the transition to zero carbon. Keep an eye on our website for announcements as the project gets underway – and make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to receive updates.

July 29, 2019