OFFSHORE WIND FOR ENGLAND’S OBLIGATION

Great Britain’s government some time ago passed what it calls a Renewables Obligation (RO) requiring 15.4% of UK power to come from New Energy sources by 2020. In the U.S., this kind of obligation goes by the names Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) or, less often, Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).

The people who gave the world Shakespeare have the right word. It IS an obligation, not just a standard. It’s an obligation to the earth, to the next generation and, in fact, to ALL future generations. Obligation. Yes.

Britain also has an EU-assigned requirement to obtain 15% of its power from New Energy sources by 2020, part of the EU triple-20 goals (20% of power from renewables, 20% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and 20% efficiency improvements by 2020). That is an obligation for Britain, too. It’s an obligation to the community of nations (the EU) to which it belongs.

In a larger sense, all nations have an obligation to the community of world nations. When the U.S. faces up to that obligation, it can legitimately begin to ask for reciprocation from emerging economies like China and India. Obligation. Good word.

Along with expressing its enthusiasm for a newly proposed offshore wind installation, British Friends of the Earth (FoE) called for Britain to extend its obligation, to set the a goal of obtaining 25% of its electricity from offshore wind and 45% of its electricity from New Energy of all kinds by 2020. FoE also wants feed-in tariffs and priority grid access to incentivize home installations.

FoE: “A feed in tariff scheme in Germany has been highly successful…householders get a guaranteed premium price for the green energy they supply to the grid, with contracts lasting between 15 and 25 years. As a result it now has 200 times more solar power than the UK.”

Friends of the Earth clearly understands obligations among friends.

The proposed installation is on Britain's east coast, off Yorkshire. (click to enlarge)

Wind farm ‘one of UK’s biggest’
7 April 2008 (BBC News)
and
Plans for major offshore wind farm welcomed
April 7, 2008 (Friends of the Earth)
and
E.ON Will Build 300MW Wind Farm Off Northeast England
Nidaa Bakhsh and Nicholas Comfort, April 7, 2008 (Bloomberg News)

WHO
E.ON AG (Paul Golby, CEO; Chris Sherrington, Project manager), Friends of the Earth (FoE) (Nick Rau, Energy Campaigner)

WHAT
Utility giant E.ON has applied for permits to build the 300 megawatt Humber Gateway Offshore Wind Farm off the east coast of England.

Britain is rich in offshore wind assets - and has big plans. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- E.ON has begun the siting process by submitting applications to East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
- Plans call for construction to take 2 to 3 years and completion to come in 2013.

WHERE
- The wind farm would be in the North Sea, 5 miles off Spurn Point on the East Yorkshire coast.
- E.ON AG, Germany’s biggest utility, is based in Dusseldorf.

WHY
- Installation cost is estimated at 700 million pounds ($1.4 billion).
- The installation will have 83 turbines. Offshore turbines typically are 3 megawatt units or larger.
- The installation will now be subjected to public scrutiny.
- It must also be approved by Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD). The MoD has objected to many other wind farm sites because they interfere with radar readings.

E.ON has experience and will get the project done. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Chris Sherrington, Project manager, E.ON: "…Humber Gateway would be one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the UK and would play a vital role in the fight against climate change…this scheme put[s] East Yorkshire at the forefront of the UK's effort to reduce carbon emissions [and] it will help ensure a secure, reliable and clean supply of electricity for families and businesses across the region…we feel it's extremely important that we talk to the community about the findings of our [environmental] studies and to hear their views on the project."
- Nick Rau, Energy Campaigner, FoE: “We are delighted E.ON is pushing forward with plans for a new wind farm off the Yorkshire Coast…Offshore wind has a key role in the fight against climate change and helping us switchto a low-carbon economy…The Government must do more to develop this huge potential and ensure that Britain reaps the massive economic and environmental benefits of becoming a world leader in harvesting the wind.”
- Paul Golby, CEO, E,ON: ``[The project] will displace the emission of hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year and will make a significant contribution to helping the government meet its tough renewable-energy targets…''