The Crown Estate has released two reports at Global Offshore Wind 2014 conference.
Offshore wind operational report 2014 highlights the continuing growth within the sector while the second report, Sharing Lessons Learned and Good Practice in Offshore Transmission, provides a pathway to reduce costs.
The Offshore wind operational report 2014 said 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 6800 people were employed in the sector.
Four wind farms, London Array, Greater Gabbard, Sheringham Shoal and Thanet, have delivered half of the production in 2013.
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.
"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," den Rooijen added.
Sharing lessons learned and good practice in offshore transmission report proposes a knowledge hub for information sharing.
den Rooijen further said, "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."
UK Energy Minister Michael Fallon has launched a review into the country’s offshore wind supply chain.
Fallon said, "Overall UK content in our offshore wind farms can be, and should be, much higher – especially in capital expenditure."
Image: London Array offshore wind farm achieved an annual output of over 2TWh in 2013. Photo: Courtesy of the Crown Estate 2014.
