Offshore wind championed for decarbonisation

The National Infrastructure Commission’s ‘Net Zero – Opportunities for the power sector’ report says that putting the UK on the pathway to a highly renewable electricity system is the best way to deliver low cost low carbon electricity, of which wind could deliver a significant proportion.

A key recommendation from the Commission’s National Infrastructure Assessment is that the UK electricity system should be running on at least 50% renewable generation by 2030. “The government’s ambition to deploy 40 GW of offshore wind will go a long way to delivering at least 50 per cent renewable generation by 2030,” stated the Commission.

Investment “uncertainty”

The Commission said while the costs benefits of a renewable power system, combined with flexible technologies including hydrogen powered generation, have been recognised by recent modelling results, there is “considerable uncertainty” concerning modelling over a long period of time and in a sector with significant technological change.

“It does not make sense to fully commit now to a system dominated by one technology, whether that is nuclear, offshore wind or another,” noted the report.

In the National Infrastructure Assessment, the Commission recommended that the government move technologies that have recently become cost competitive, such as offshore wind, to Pot 1 following the next Contracts for Difference auction in Spring 2019. Pot 1 should be used for the majority of the increase in renewable capacity required, added.

By Rebecca Jeffrey