02-07-05
In the next five years some $ 13.6 bn will be spent on offshore installations of marine renewable energy projects, mainly located offshore Europe.
An authoritative new market study by energy analysts Douglas-Westwood, The
Refocus Marine Renewable Energy Report, launched by science publishers Elsevier,
forecasts installations will total some 7,700 MW, about the energy equivalent of
7 nuclear power stations.
After a long gestation period and economically difficult birth, this new industry is set for strong growth encouraged by government incentives for the delivery of “green” (low-carbon power). Although onshore projects are currently cheaper, the European windpower sector is moving offshore where wind regimes are better but economic and technical challenges greater.
Report author Adam Westwood , said “although expenditure in 2004 was low
compared with that experienced at the beginning of the decade, growth will
resume in 2005 and expenditure rise rapidly to over $ 4 bn a year by 2009.
Present proposals call for 2,333 turbines to be installed, a massive challenge
for the installation contractors.
“Installations are set to peak in 2008 when 827 turbines are expected to be positioned offshore. Interestingly, annual capacity installed continues to grow past 2008 even though unit numbers fall, due to the use of larger capacity turbines, namely 5 MW class machines rather the 2-3 MW units currently used.”
“The UK has the largest turbine market with 664 forecast over the period.
Germany , starting later, will install a fewer 494 turbines, partially due to
the fact that larger turbine will be used. It should be noted that the forecast
is based on developers’ announced plans with regard to turbine size. If larger
turbines are available at the time of installation they will be favoured. An
example of this is the ‘Kentish Flats’ wind farm where 3 MW turbines were
eventually chosen to replace the 2 MW turbines previously selected, at a stroke
increasing the wind farm’s capacity by 50 %.“
As offshore windpower becomes a large-scale business, wave and tidal current power systems are also evolving. Little operational capacity is currently in-place as the majority of technologies still in the development stage. Despite this, grid-connected prototypes are helping prove the concept of individual technologies and enable the first power purchase agreements from wave and tidal technology.
“The first orders for multiple-unit farms are now being placed with the
developers of market-leading technologies” said Westwood. “By 2007 annual
installations could exceed 10 MW per year -- a small beginning but a very real
achievement. Waves and tidal currents contain massive amounts of energy and the
prize awaiting a commercially successful technology is considerable.”
“The UK is strong in the wave and tidal sectors having both an excellent natural resource coupled with a portfolio of successful technologies. Portugal and Spain are both important players, and government support is strong with a 12 year index-linked tariff available to developers.”
“This market-leading incentive is attracting the interest of many developers who
view the country as ideal for future projects. Australia is also in the running,
being home to some excellent wave energy technology.”
Source: www.dw-1.com