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UK offshore wind industry to reach 10GW by 2020: Report

UK offshore wind industry to reach 10GW by 2020: Report

The Crown Estate said in two reports released at Global Offshore Wind 2014 conference that the UK offshore wind industry is progressing towards doubling its capacity to 10GW and meeting approximately 10% of the country’s energy demand by 2020

Offshore wind operational report 2014 outlines the continuing growth within the energy sector whereas the second report, Sharing Lessons Learned and Good Practice in Offshore Transmission, provides a pathway to reduce costs.

The Crown Estate offshore wind head Huub den Rooijen said there have been several significant milestones in 2014 for offshore wind, including a total of £750m industry investment announced.

Rooijen said, “With around 1465 wind turbines in operation or under construction and nearly 4 GW in operation it is fair to say the industry is coming of age.

“Given the volume of offshore wind capacity already connected and the expected future capacity, there is a valuable opportunity to better understand the challenges faced on offshore transmission projects.”

The 2014 offshore wind operational report said the generation from offshore wind reached 11.5TWh in 2013, which equates to 3.3% of energy demand in the UK.

UK wind farms have delivered a 37.7% capacity factor in 2013 and more than 6,800 people were employed in the sector, the report said.

For the past ten years, offshore wind generation has registered a year on year growth of 53%, consistent with the average annual growth of 55%, the Offshore wind operational report 2014 revealed.

Four wind farms, London Array, Greater Gabbard, Sheringham Shoal and Thanet, delivered half of the production in 2013.

London Array offshore wind farm achieved an annual output of more than 2TWh in 2013

London Array offshore wind farm achieved an annual output of more than 2TWh in 2013

In addition to this, sharing lessons learned and good practices in the offshore transmission report proposes a knowledge hub for information sharing.

Meanwhile, a review into the country’s offshore wind supply chain has also been launched by the UK Energy Minister Michael Fallon.

“Overall UK content in our offshore wind farms can be, and should be, much higher – especially in capital expenditure,” Fallon said.

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IKEA announces largest renewable energy investment with US wind farm

IKEA announces largest renewable energy investment with US wind farm

IKEA has announced its largest global renewable energy investment to date, purchasing a 98 megawatt wind farm in Illinois, USThe wind farm is expected to generate up to 380GWh of renewable energy each year – the equivalent amount of electricity to meet the needs of 34,000 average American households.
IKEA’s chief sustainability officer Steve Howard said: “The US has amazing wind and sun resources that will never run out. We are delighted to make this investment – it is great for jobs, great for energy security, and great for our business. Importantly, it’s great for the future of our climate”.

The announcement is the most recent in a series of renewable energy investments, seeing the company now committing to own 206 wind turbines worldwide.
IKEA has also installed 550,000 solar panels on its buildings in nine countries. In the US, these investments include solar installations completed on 90% of IKEA locations across 20 states, with a total of 165,000 solar panels providing 38MW installed capacity.

According to the company,  it produced 1,425GWh of energy from renewable sources, including wind and solar, in 2013 – the equivalent to 37% of the company’s total energy needs.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the company has allocated $2bn to invest in wind and solar until 2015 to get closer to its goal of producing 100% as much renewable energy as the total energy it consumes by 2020.

IKEA also reports that since 2010, the company has saved nearly $55m through energy efficiency efforts in its stores and warehouses.

In February, IKEA’s forest management certificate was suspended for its operations in Karelia, Russia, after the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) revealed concerns with poor forestry practices. However, the suspension was lifted in March following a successful appeal by the company.

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