Stonehaven’s Post

The Sunday Times article, July 21st highlighted my involvement in developing the largest onshore wind turbine in England last year. While it overlooked Ambition Community Energy, the CIC we founded, and its pivotal support role and now the turbine owner, it did capture the ambition we hold for Community-led wind in the UK. The article may have blurred the lines between development and construction finance, and got a few numbers wrong, but it effectively showcased our vision for community energy. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eHNjsNtz #CommunityPowerSolutions#WindPower #CommunityEnergy #AmbitionCommunityEnergy

What I don't understand. If there is such an urgency to develop green energy why does it take years and years to get anything done? The NS government wants to offer licences to develop a total of five gigawatts of power from offshore wind by 2030. Please note - not the production of power by 2030 - just the licences issued. The article is filled with voices arguing for more time - not to rush - etc. Really? 5 years just to evaluate things? If they approve projects only in 2030, it will be 2035 maybe 2040 before any wind starts producing electricity. By then solar in other parts of North America may have killed the business case for offshore wind. Move faster, please. Sorry, behind a paywall https://lnkd.in/ekC_jVYz

The UK Government's next #offshorewind allocation round (AR6) goes live in March. Last year wind provided more than 30% of the UK's total power generation. Good read here on what could happen next #energytransition https://lnkd.in/dEfrMjy3

🌬️💡 Germany is racing against time to meet its ambitious wind energy targets by 2030. The journey involves quadrupling offshore wind power, overcoming infrastructure challenges, and navigating financial constraints. Can they lead the way in renewable energy? Let's discuss how innovation and resilience can shape a sustainable future. #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #WindPower 🌍🔋 Read more:

I'm fortunate to meet politicians and policy-makers in many countries that are new to offshore wind and want to assess it as part of their energy strategy. There are many good examples out there, but having an agreed vision for where offshore wind is in terms of the preferred future energy mix is essential. It's not the answer to all energy transition problems for coastal nations, but part of a tool box. Must say, the announcements from The Crown Estate and UK authorities provide excellent examples for emerging offshore wind nations. https://lnkd.in/gRq7kvvc

Great news or the UK #wind energy: the new Labour Government has great ambitions for accelerating the deployment of wind power: increasing onshore wind from 15 to 30 GW and offshore wind from 15 to 60 GW by 2030. These are hugely ambitious targets, which can't be met without addressing some major problems including lengthy permitting process, grid capacity, offshore-wind auction and budget, and last but not least collaboration with rest of Europe. On the bright side, UK already has the highest installed capacity of offshore wind in Europe, and second highest globally (second to China), so there is a strong platform to build on. Also, enjoying a wealth of technical know-how through strong research centres, UK is well-positioned to further develop the #GreenTechnology in wind sector, and build/develop a #local #supplyChain. #NCC #ORECatapult #UKRI #RenewableUK #SSE #ScottshPower #Centrica #offshoreWind #onshoreWind #Blades #WndTurbines #AMIWind #cleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟰.𝟮 𝗚𝗪 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 Europe’s offshore #windindustry brought online a record 4.2 GW of new capacity in 2023 and is expected to build around 5 GW of #offshorewind annually over the next three years, according to WindEurope data. However, this is still not enough to meet the continent’s 2030 climate and #energy security targets, #WindEurope added. The overall offshore wind capacity installed in 2023 was 40 per cent higher than in 2022. Of the 4.2 GW of new capacity, 3 GW was in the EU, an increase of 2.1 GW year on year, WindEurope said. The Netherlands, France, and the UK installed the most new capacity, including the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind project in the Netherlands, according to the organisation. Read the full article via the offshoreWIND.biz website via the link below! #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTransition #OffshoreWind #OffshoreWindEnergy #WindEnergy #WindPower #WindFarm

The California Energy Commission today unanimously approved a sweeping plan to develop a massive floating offshore wind industry in ocean waters — a first-of-its-kind undertaking that will require billions in public and private investments and could transform parts of the coast. The new state plan sets the path for harnessing wind power from hundreds of giant turbines, each as tall as a 70-story building, floating in the ocean about 20 miles off Humboldt Bay and Morro Bay. The untapped energy is expected to become a major power source as California electrifies vehicles and switches to clean energy.

Listen to the story at Marketplace public radio, “Here’s what California’s offshore wind industry might look like,” by Caleigh Wells—August 1, 2024. “Near the mouth of the Port of Long Beach is a giant, empty square of calm ocean water. It doesn’t look like much now, especially in the context of the nation’s largest port complex. But if things go as planned, it’ll be ground zero for California’s offshore wind industry and for floating turbines in the United States. The state recently decided on a plan to build hundreds of turbines off of the coast, and in November, its voters will decide whether to approve a bond that would help fund those turbines… ‘Even as we look out here in our outer harbor, it is hard to get a good perspective on the scale,’ said Suzanne Plezia, chief harbor engineer at the Port of Long Beach. The port’s plan is called Pier Wind, and it would take up roughly 300 football fields of space… Plezia said this project would employ 17,000 people, and by the time it would be up and running in 2031, it could send out one assembled turbine every week. These turbines would be particularly valuable because of when they produce energy. ‘The characteristics of the wind, which are the strongest in the late afternoon and evening… when the sun goes down and electricity demand is the highest,’ said Adam Stern, executive director of the trade group Offshore Wind California. To those who are worried about the ocean view and the birds, these would be dozens of miles from the shore, far from where the birds like to hang out. ‘They hardly can be seen, except on the clearest of days, when they’ll look like toothpicks in the distance,’ Stern said. Those toothpicks would be unlike any turbine we’ve seen in the U.S., in part because they’re really, really big. ‘One rotation of one of these turbines can power two houses for a day,’ said California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild…” See the full story below and at this link. https://lnkd.in/ggpggg3W #offshorewind #floatingwind #cleanenergy #renewables #climate #offshorewindca #pacificoffshorewindsummit

In today's #IndustryNews: "New UK Government plans big push on wind" 🍃 The new UK Labour Government is making a big push on wind energy, aiming to double onshore wind and quadruple offshore wind by 2030 to fully decarbonise electricity. This ambitious plan requires significant reforms in planning and grid infrastructure, with the Government lifting the onshore wind ban and considering faster consenting processes. Full article: https://lnkd.in/eprfpsV8 #WindEnergy #RenewableEnergy #UKGovernment #GreenEnergy #SustainableFuture #SteelBending #Engineering #Offshore #AngleRing WindEurope