92-533: Hornsea Wind Farm is a Round 3 wind farm which began construction in 2018. Sited in the North Sea 120 km (75 miles) off the east coast of England , the eventual wind farm group is planned to have a total capacity of up to 6 gigawatt (GW). The development has been split into a number of subzones. The 1.2 GW Project 1 gained planning consent in 2014. Construction of Hornsea One started in January 2018, and
184-556: A 60% increase in total wind generated power The first commercial wind farm was built in 1991 at Delabole in Cornwall; it consisted of 10 turbines each with a capacity to generate a maximum of 400 kW. Following this, the early 1990s saw a small but steady growth with half a dozen farms becoming operational each year; the larger wind farms tended to be built on the hills of Wales, examples being Rhyd-y-Groes, Llandinam, Bryn Titli and Carno . Smaller farms were also appearing on
276-599: A Contract for Difference in Round 3 or Round 4. The UK accelerated its decommissioning of coal power stations aiming for a 2024 phase-out date; achieving this on 30 September 2024 with the closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station . Recent British nuclear power station building programs have encountered significant technical issues and project overruns that have resulted in significant increases in project costs. These issues have resulted in new UK nuclear projects failing to secure project financing. Similarly, SMR technology
368-478: A Development consent application in 2018 and consent was granted on 31 December 2020. In early 2023, consent was also given to a battery storage power station at Swardeston , expected at 300 MW / 600 MWh. Hornsea 3 began construction in 2023, and is expected to complete at the end of 2027. Concerns have been raised by the RSPB over the impact on bird colonies in the region. 1,500 nest boxes for kittiwakes were built on
460-494: A capacity of 1.463 GW were installed, for the first time growing faster than onshore wind which grew by 1.258 GW. The offshore wind industry continued to develop in 2013 with what was once the largest wind farm in the world, the London Array , becoming operational with over 630 MW of generating capability coming on stream. During 2013, 27.4 TWh of energy was generated by wind power, which contributed 8.7% of
552-649: A certain amount of electricity using renewable means (see Renewables obligations below). Wind turbine development continued rapidly and by the mid-2000s 2 MW+ turbines were the norm. In 2007, the German wind turbine producer Enercon installed the first 6 MW model (" E-126 "); The nameplate capacity was changed from 6 MW to 7 MW after technical revisions were performed in 2009 and to 7.5 MW in 2010. Growth continued with bigger farms and larger, more efficient turbines sitting on taller and taller masts. Scotland's sparsely populated, hilly and windy countryside became
644-425: A combined 1,878 MW (1,691 MW maximum single-time) supply within minutes, greater than the 1,000 MW limit. Grid frequency declined, initially below the 'exceptional circumstances' limit at 49.5 Hz, triggering additional generation and then more importantly below 48.8 Hz at which point the first stage of ‘Low Frequency Demand Disconnection’ (LFDD) a form of automatic load shedding commences to stabilise
736-431: A comprehensive review of audited accounts data for UK offshore windfarms, which found that levelised costs rose from around £60–70/MWh for early projects, to around £140–160/MWh by 2010–13, before stabilising. The Renewable Energy Foundation study also examined onshore wind costs, finding that capital costs had risen to around 2011 before declining slightly thereafter, while operating costs had risen steadily. Estimates of
828-504: A pole offshore in 2023, near RSPB Minsmere and Lowestoft. Ørsted put forward a plan to add a fourth area to the Hornsea wind farm in 2018, with the area covering 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi), and being located adjacent, north-west of Hornsea Project 1. During 2018 and 2019, consultation with the local communities which will be affected by the project took place, with a Development Consent Order application originally intended in
920-701: A popular area for developers and the United Kingdom's first 100 MW+ farm went operational in 2006 at Hadyard Hill in South Ayrshire. 2006 also saw the first use of the 3 MW turbine. In 2008, the largest onshore wind farm in England was completed on Scout Moor and the repowering of the Slieve Rushen Wind Farm created the largest farm in Northern Ireland. In 2009, the largest wind farm in
1012-474: A potential wind turbine capacity of 1.8 GW, in an area of around 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) located in the centre of the Hornsea wind farm zone. Project 2 was use the same route for its electrical export cable as Project One, and to use either HVAC or HVDC with a separate onshore substation. Suitable areas for the Project 2 development were identified as being adjacent to the north, east or west of
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#17328511395011104-539: A regional distribution network, termed "embedded generation". In 2009 nearly half of wind generation capacity was embedded generation, but this is expected to reduce in future years as larger wind farms are built. Gaining planning permission for onshore wind farms continues to prove difficult, with many schemes stalled in the planning system and a high rate of refusal. The RenewableUK (formerly BWEA) figures show that there are approximately 7,000 MW worth of onshore schemes waiting for planning permission. On average,
1196-573: A substation near Killingholme Power Station , North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire . Within the zone of Project 1 the primary underlying geology consisted of deposits from the Quaternary Period consisting of Bolders bank, Botney Cut and Eem formations – primarily sediments or tills – gravelley/sandy clays, overlying sediments were sands or gravels up to 2 to 3 metres (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) thick, with waves within
1288-523: A tidal range of 2 to 5 metres (6 ft 7 in to 16 ft 5 in), and typical annual wave height of 1.35 to 1.78 metres (4 ft 5 in to 5 ft 10 in). The surface of the seabed consists primarily of sands and gravel. In 2011 the Danish firm Ørsted A/S (then named DONG Energy) became a partner in SMart Wind. In early 2015 Ørsted A/S became the 100% owner of the first phase, Project 1, of
1380-553: A wind farm planning application takes two years to be considered by a local authority, with an approval rate of 40%. This compares extremely unfavourably with other types of major applications, such as housing, retail outlets and roads, 70% of which are decided within the 13- to 16-week statutory deadline; for wind farms the rate is just 6%. Approximately half of all wind farm planning applications, over 4 GW worth of schemes, have objections from airports and traffic control on account of their impact on radar . In 2008 NATS en Route,
1472-475: Is a "key building block" for electricity generation it was unclear if the 2015 onshore planning restrictions would be eased. In 2022 three-quarters of the UK population supported further wind generated power in the UK and the majority would be happy for a wind farm to be built near them. In 2022, wind generation in the UK exceeded 20 GW for the first time, reaching 20.9 GW between 1200h and 1230h on 2 November 2022. This
1564-465: Is currently being constructed, while another 4.8 GW of schemes have planning consent. In 2009, United Kingdom onshore wind farms generated 7,564 GWh of electricity; this represents a 2% contribution to the total United Kingdom electricity generation (378.5 TWh). Large onshore wind farms are usually directly connected to the National Grid , but smaller wind farms are connected to
1656-586: Is not currently economically competitive with offshore wind in the UK. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster public support for new nuclear has fallen. In response, the UK government increased its previous commitment for 40 GW of Offshore wind capacity by 2030. As of 2020, this represents a 355% increase over current capacity in 10 years. It is expected the Crown Estate will announce multiple new leasing Rounds and increases to existing bidding areas throughout
1748-469: Is one of three off the British coast in the North Sea , roughly halfway between the other two: Dogger Bank Wind Farm and East Anglia Wind Farm . The Hornsea site ('Zone 4', also known as 'Holderness' zone) has a total area of 4,730 square kilometres (1,830 sq mi), and is 38 kilometres (24 mi) from land at the closest point; water depth in the zone is from 22 to 73 metres (72 to 240 ft), with
1840-453: Is the best location for wind power in Europe and one of the best in the world. The combination of long coastline , shallow water and strong winds make offshore wind unusually effective. By 2023, the UK had over 11 thousand wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 30 gigawatts (GW): 16 GW onshore and 15 GW offshore , the sixth largest capacity of any country . Wind power
1932-754: Is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the Phanerozoic eon. It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ago to the present. The Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene (2.58 million years ago to 11.7 thousand years ago) and
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#17328511395012024-476: Is the largest source of renewable energy in the UK , but at under 5% still far less primary energy than oil or fossil gas . However, wind power generates electricity which is far more powerful in terms of useful energy than the same amount of thermal primary energy. Wind generates more than a quarter of UK electricity , and as of May 2024 generates more than gas over a whole year. Polling of public opinion consistently shows strong support for wind power in
2116-684: The Gelasian Stage, which was formerly considered part of the Neogene Period and Pliocene Epoch. This was later revised to 2.58 mya. The Anthropocene was proposed as a third epoch as a mark of the anthropogenic impact on the global environment starting with the Industrial Revolution , or about 200 years ago. The Anthropocene was rejected as a geological epoch in 2024 by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS),
2208-692: The Holocene (11.7 thousand years ago to today); a proposed third epoch, the Anthropocene , was rejected in 2024 by IUGS , the governing body of the ICS. The Quaternary is typically defined by the Quaternary glaciation , the cyclic growth and decay of continental ice sheets related to the Milankovitch cycles and the associated climate and environmental changes that they caused. In 1759 Giovanni Arduino proposed that
2300-719: The 2020–2030 period to achieve the government's aim of 40 GW. In 2023 the UK Government increased offshore wind planned by the UK by 2030 to 50GW, and has a pipeline of offshore wind power schemes of 100GW. In addition to the UK Round 3 auction, the Scottish Government and the Crown Estate also called for bids on potential sites within Scottish territorial waters. These were originally considered as too deep to provide viable sites, but 17 companies submitted tenders and
2392-462: The 8 GW worth of sites already awarded in the two earlier rounds of site allocations, Round 1 in 2001 and Round 2 in 2003. Taken together it was estimated that this would result in the construction of over 7,000 offshore wind turbines. In 2010, 653 MW of offshore wind came online. The following year, only one offshore wind farm, phase 1 of the Walney Wind Farm ,
2484-559: The BWEA, the Ministry of Defence and other government departments signed a Memorandum of Understanding seeking to establish a mechanism for resolving objections and funding for more technical research. Wind farms in the UK often have to meet a maximum height limit of 125 m (410 ft) (excluding Scotland). However, modern lower cost wind turbines installed on the continent are over 200 m (660 ft) tall. This planning criteria has stunted
2576-475: The Crown Estate initially signed exclusivity agreements with 9 companies for 6 GW worth of sites. Following publication of the Scottish Government's sectoral marine plan for offshore wind energy in Scottish territorial waters in March 2010, six sites were given approval subject to securing detailed consent. Subsequently, 4 sites have been granted agreements for lease. In 2022 Crown Estate announced
2668-558: The Hull area on the east coast of England because it is close to other large offshore projects planned in coming years. The new plant began producing turbine rotor blades in December 2016. The plant and the associated service centre, in Green Port Hull nearby, will employ about 1,000 workers. During 2015, 40.4 TWh of energy was generated by wind power and the quarterly generation record
2760-541: The Pleistocene includes a portion of what was, prior to 2009, defined as the Pliocene . Quaternary stratigraphers usually worked with regional subdivisions. From the 1970s, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) tried to make a single geologic time scale based on GSSP 's, which could be used internationally. The Quaternary subdivisions were defined based on biostratigraphy instead of paleoclimate . This led to
2852-560: The Renewables Obligation Banding Review in 2009, offshore wind has received 2 ROCs to reflect its higher costs of generation. In Northern Ireland, a banding of 4 ROCs is available for small onshore turbines. Wind energy received approximately 40% of the total revenue generated by the Renewables Obligation, and ROCs provided over half of the revenue of the wind farms involved. The total annual cost of
Hornsea Wind Farm - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-599: The Renewables Obligation reached £6.3 billion in 2019–20, of which 67% was for wind power. This cost was added to end-user electricity bills. Sir David King warned that this could increase UK levels of fuel poverty . The government closed the Renewables Obligation to new onshore wind power projects in 2016. Support for offshore wind was moved into the government's Contract for Difference (CfD) regime. Support for wind power under this programme rose to £1.7 billion in 2020, with £1.6 billion of that total shared between six offshore windfarms. In 2023 there
3036-623: The UK's electricity demand. On 1 August 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg opened the Lincs Offshore Wind Farm. On commissioning the total capacity of wind power exceeded 10 GW of installed capacity. In 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron said that people were "fed up" with wind turbines being built close to homes; onshore wind subsidies were removed and in 2015 planning rules changed to give local authorities strong controls on wind turbine development, greatly reducing onshore deployment. During 2014, 28.1 TWh of energy
3128-437: The UK, with nearly three-quarters of the population agreeing with its use, even for people living near onshore wind turbines . The government has committed to a major expansion of offshore capacity to 60 GW by 2030 ,with 5GW from floating wind. One reason for this is to improve energy security . It's reported by industry experts TGS 4C Offshore that the UK is currently not on track to meet this target due to challenges within
3220-665: The United Kingdom Government agreed to an overall European Union target of generating 20% of the EU's energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. Each EU member state was given its own allocated target: for the United Kingdom it is 15%. This was formalised in January 2009 with the passage of the EU Renewables Directive . As renewable heat and renewable fuel production in the United Kingdom are at extremely low bases, RenewableUK estimated that this would require 35–40% of
3312-513: The United Kingdom went live at Whitelee on Eaglesham Moor in Scotland. This is a 539 MW wind farm consisting of 215 turbines. Approval has been granted to build several more 100 MW+ wind farms on hills in Scotland and will feature 3.6 MW turbines. As of September 2013, there were 458 operational onshore wind farms in the United Kingdom with a total of 6565 MW of nameplate capacity. A further 1564 MW of capacity
3404-519: The United Kingdom's electricity to be generated from renewable sources by that date, to be met largely by 33–35 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind capacity. In December 2007, the Government announced plans for an expansion of wind energy in the United Kingdom, by conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment of up to 25 GW worth of wind farm offshore sites in preparation for a new round of development. These proposed sites were in addition to
3496-400: The United Kingdom. 2001 saw 17 applications being granted permission to proceed in what has become known as Round 1 of United Kingdom offshore wind development. Offshore wind projects completed in 2010–2011 had a levelised cost of electricity of £136/MWh, which fell to £131/MWh for projects completed in 2012–14 and £121/MWh for projects approved in 2012–2014; the industry hopes to get
3588-460: The Zone 1, which was located in the shallowest area of the whole Hornsea zone. The design considered piled, suction pile, monopile or gravity base foundations for wind turbines of 5 to 15 MW rated power. As with Project 1 sea bed conditions and geology consisted of Quaternary period deposits, primarily sediments of sand, till and clays, with the overlying gravel or sand seabed including sandwaves, with
3680-472: The area varying in height by 1 to 3 metres (3 ft 3 in to 9 ft 10 in). Project 1 water depths were generally 25 to 30 metres (82 to 98 ft). In 2011 Smart Wind signed lease agreements with the Crown Estate for "Heron Wind" and "Njord" areas making up the zone. The zone was given provisional Contracts for Difference (CfD) renewable subsidies by the UK government in April 2014. Hornsea Project 1
3772-453: The average water depth of 25 to 30 metres (82 to 98 ft). In 2013 SMart wind signed lease agreements with the Crown Estate for the "Optimus Wind" and "Breesea" areas making up Project 2 of Hornsea wind farm. A planning application for Project 2 was submitted and accepted for examination in early 2015; its wind turbine area was located adjacent northwest of the Project 1 area, with the cable export route following that of Project 1 adjacent on
Hornsea Wind Farm - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-644: The capability to generate enough renewable energy to power 1 million homes in Britain. The tendering process for Round 3 offshore wind farm opportunities was begun by the Crown Estate in 2008. Bids were received in March 2009, and Zone Development Agreements signed in December 2009. The Hornsea development zone was awarded to a joint venture (SMart Wind) of Siemens and a consortium Mainstream Renewable Power including Hochtief . The development had an estimated potential generating capacity of 4 GW. The Hornsea site
3956-471: The chief executive of DONG Energy (now known as Ørsted A/S ), the UK's largest wind farm operator, predicted that wind power could supply more than half of the UK's electricity demand in the future. He pointed to the tumbling cost of green energy as evidence that wind and solar could supplant fossil fuels quicker than expected. By 2020, climate change concerns led to greater public support for wind turbines, but despite government policy stating onshore wind
4048-409: The cost down to £100/MWh for projects approved in 2020. The construction price for offshore windfarms has fallen by almost a third since 2012 while technology improved and developers think a new generation of even larger turbines will enable yet more future cost reductions. In 2017 the UK built 53% of the 3.15 GW European offshore wind farm capacity. In 2020, Boris Johnson pledged that, by the end of
4140-511: The decade, offshore wind would generate enough energy to power every UK home. At the start of 2022 there was a total of 11.26 GW of installed offshore wind capacity. During 2022 an additional 3.2 GW of capacity was added with the commissioning of the Moray East , Triton Knoll and Hornsea Project Two wind farms. A further 13.6 GW of capacity is either under construction (Neart Na Gaoithe, Sofia, Seagreen & Doggerbank A) or has been awarded
4232-609: The development of onshore wind in the UK. From 2002 to 2015, windfarms were subsidised through the Renewables Obligation where British electricity suppliers were required by law to provide a proportion of their sales from renewable sources such as wind power or pay a penalty fee. The supplier then received Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) for each MW·h of electricity they have purchased. The Energy Act 2008 introduced banded ROCs for different technologies from April 2009. Onshore wind receives 1 ROC per MWh, but since
4324-620: The emergence of the straits of Bosphorus and Skagerrak during glacial epochs, which respectively turned the Black Sea and Baltic Sea into fresh water lakes, followed by their flooding (and return to salt water) by rising sea level; the periodic filling of the English Channel , forming a land bridge between Britain and the European mainland; the periodic closing of the Bering Strait , forming
4416-600: The end of May 2021, and on 23 June 2021 Ørsted announced that the 16th turbine to be added to the Hornsea Two array was the 1,000th turbine they had installed in UK waters, fifteen years after they installed their first, which was part of the 30-turbine Barrow Offshore Wind Farm , off the coast of Cumbria. Having completed the offshore substation, first power was achieved by 20 December 2021, and became fully operational in August 2022. By doing so, Hornsea Project 2 overtook Hornsea One as
4508-715: The establishment of the Glacial Theory. In time, thanks to the refinement of geology, it has been demonstrated that there were several periods of glacial advance and retreat and that past temperatures on Earth were very different from today. In particular, the Milankovitch cycles of Milutin Milankovitch are based on the premise that variations in incoming solar radiation are a fundamental factor controlling Earth's climate. During this time, substantial glaciers advanced and retreated over much of North America and Europe, parts of South America and Asia, and all of Antarctica. There
4600-466: The first quarter of 2020. However additional consultations and revisions delayed the submission until September 2021, with further analysis needed on the impacts to kittiwake , razorbill and guillemot populations in the Flamborough and Filey Coast Special Protection Area. Part of the site is also scheduled for an underground carbon dioxide storage , leading to conflict over the use of the seabed and
4692-520: The first turbines began supplying power to the UK national electricity grid in February 2019. The turbines were all installed by October 2019 and the equipment fully commissioned in December 2019. With a capacity of 1,218 MW, it was the largest in the world on its completion. A second 1.4 GW Project 2 was given planning consent in 2016. First power was achieved in December 2021, and it became fully operational in August 2022 overtaking Hornsea One as
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#17328511395014784-595: The first utility grid-connected wind turbine to operate in the United Kingdom was built by John Brown & Company in the Orkney Islands . In the 1970s, industrial scale wind generation was first proposed as an electricity source for the United Kingdom. An article on wind power costs from the period suggested that the capital cost per installed kilowatt would be in the range of £150 to £250, but that with inflation this would be competitive, and predicted that lower-cost new windmill designs would soon be available. In 2007
4876-418: The geological strata of northern Italy could be divided into four successive formations or "orders" ( Italian : quattro ordini ). The term "quaternary" was introduced by Jules Desnoyers in 1829 for sediments of France 's Seine Basin that clearly seemed to be younger than Tertiary Period rocks . The Quaternary Period follows the Neogene Period and extends to the present. The Quaternary covers
4968-503: The governing body of the ICS. The 2.58 million years of the Quaternary represents the time during which recognisable humans existed. Over this geologically short time period there has been relatively little change in the distribution of the continents due to plate tectonics . The Quaternary geological record is preserved in greater detail than that for earlier periods. The major geographical changes during this time period included
5060-462: The grid. As part of this 1.1 million customers were disconnected; rail services were disrupted with 371 trains cancelled, 220 part cancelled, and 873 trains delayed. Power was restored at 17:37. Hornsea disconnected due to a software flaw, which was fixed the next day. A scoping report for "Project Two" was published in October 2012. The subzone was expected to be developed in a number of phases, with
5152-502: The hills and moors of Northern Ireland and England. The end of 1995 saw the first commercial wind farm in Scotland go into operation at Hagshaw Hill. The late 1990s saw sustained growth as the industry matured. In 2000, the first turbines capable of generating more than 1 MW were installed and the pace of growth started to accelerate as the larger power companies like Scottish Power and Scottish & Southern became increasingly involved in order to meet legal requirements to generate
5244-575: The land bridge between Asia and North America ; and the periodic flash flooding of Scablands of the American Northwest by glacial water. The current extent of Hudson Bay , the Great Lakes and other major lakes of North America are a consequence of the Canadian Shield 's readjustment since the last ice age; different shorelines have existed over the course of Quaternary time. The climate
5336-456: The largest offshore wind farm in the world. In 2016 a third subzone was split into two projects Hornsea 3 and 4, with approximate capacities of 1–2 GW and 1 GW, increasing the capacity of the developed project to a maximum of 6 GW. In July 2023, British government officials gave the final approval for Hornsea Four, the fourth phase of the wind project. Hornsea Four is expected to generate 2.6GW, have 180 giant wind turbines, and has
5428-527: The largest offshore wind farm in the world. Hornsea Two has two diesel-electric crew ships, where crews stay for two weeks while maintaining the turbines. Project 3 will be to the east of Projects 1 and 2, with a capacity of 2.9 GW over 696 square kilometres (269 sq mi). DONG Energy (which in November 2017 changed its name to Ørsted ) began consultation on the project's development in May 2016. Ørsted submitted
5520-646: The largest offshore wind farm in the world; this was surpassed in 2018 by the Walney 3 Extension. The United Kingdom has been estimated to have over a third of Europe's total offshore wind resource, which is equivalent to three times the electricity needs of the nation at current rates of electricity consumption (In 2010 peak winter demand was 59.3 GW, in summer it drops to about 45 GW). One estimate calculates that wind turbines in one third of United Kingdom waters shallower than 25 metres (82 ft) would, on average, generate 40 GW; turbines in one third of
5612-435: The levelised cost of UK onshore wind are older. A 2011 study by the engineering consultancy Mott MacDonald put onshore wind costs at £83/MWh, below new nuclear at £96/MWh. In the UK's contract for difference auctions of 2017 and 2019, offshore windfarms made bids to supply the grid at strike prices much lower than anything seen before: £57.50/MWh in the 2017 auction and £39.65/MWh in the 2019 one. These values are below
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#17328511395015704-515: The new windpark was installed by DEME Group's subsidiary GeoSea in January 2018. The export cables were installed by Tideway Offshore Solutions, a subsidiary company of the Belgian DEME Group. The installation was completed in December 2018, several months ahead of schedule. Hornsea 1 began supplying power to the UK national electricity grid in February 2019, with full completion expected in the first quarter of 2020. The final monopile foundation
5796-435: The northward side. Planning permission for the development was awarded in August 2016, for 300 turbines covering 300 square miles (780 km) at a height of 620 feet (190 m) each. At the time of the award, Dong had committed to building 174 turbines, but the whole project is the biggest marine wind farm in the world. By the time construction commenced in 2020, the selected area was to the east and north of Hornsea One and
5888-458: The now discontinued Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO), leading to two wind farms , Blyth Offshore and Gunfleet sands . The NFFO was introduced as part of the Electricity Act 1989 and obliged United Kingdom electricity supply companies to secure specified amounts of electricity from non-fossil sources, which provided the initial spur for the commercial development of renewable energy in
5980-474: The ocean surface. The project's capacity is unknown by Ørsted due to the ever increasing size of available wind turbines for the project. Government approval for phase four was given by Grant Shapps in July 2023. Pre-construction site enabling works are expected to commence in the first half of 2025 and completion is expected by 2030. Round 3 wind farm British grid electricity in 2023 The United Kingdom
6072-526: The ostensible windfarm costs outlined in the previous section, and have therefore been widely taken as evidence of a fundamental change in the economics of offshore wind power; in other words that technological advances have led to much lower costs. There has been no similar reduction in bidding prices from onshore windfarms. The lowest successful bid under the CfD regime has been £79.99/MWh. Historically, wind power had raised costs of electricity slightly. In 2015, it
6164-411: The outcome of its application process for ScotWind Leasing, the first Scottish offshore wind leasing round in over a decade and the first ever since the management of offshore wind rights were devolved to Scotland. 17 projects were selected with a capacity of 25 GW. Scotland has a target for 2030, made in 2023, of 11GW of offshore wind by 2030. This would represent an increase of 400% in offshore wind and
6256-450: The permitting process, supply chain and strike prices, however with the recent change of government and allocation round 6 budget this could likely accelerate the build out to 2030. The world's first electricity generating wind turbine was a battery charging machine installed in July 1887 by Scottish academic James Blyth to light his holiday home in Marykirk , Scotland. It was in 1951 that
6348-457: The potential generating capacity of the wind farm to 6 GW, with Hornsea Three estimated at 1–2 GW and Hornsea Four at about 1 GW. The initial scoping report for "Project One" within the Hornsea zone identified it as a subzone of 629.6 square kilometres (243.1 sq mi) in the centre of the Hornsea zone, with an estimated potential wind farm of 1.2 GW, divided into two further subzones of 600 MW capacity each. The zone
6440-477: The presence of traces of the passage of a glacier at a considerable distance from the Alps. This idea was initially disputed by another Swiss scientist, Louis Agassiz , but when he undertook to disprove it, he ended up affirming his colleague's hypothesis. A year later, Agassiz raised the hypothesis of a great glacial period that would have had long-reaching general effects. This idea gained him international fame and led to
6532-517: The problem that the proposed base of the Pleistocene was at 1.805 million years ago, long after the start of the major glaciations of the northern hemisphere. The ICS then proposed to abolish use of the name Quaternary altogether, which appeared unacceptable to the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA). In 2009, it was decided to make the Quaternary the youngest period of the Cenozoic Era with its base at 2.588 mya and including
6624-435: The project – around 171 turbines would be used for the wind farm. In its 2015 financial report DONG stated it had chosen to use suction bucket foundations on a third of the turbines at Hornsea. The rationale for use of the new foundation type is thought to be a simplified foundation installation, requiring only a heavy-lift crane to lower the foundation to the sea bed, reducing costs. DONG Energy formally committed to building
6716-399: The scheme. Ørsted acquired rights to the remaining subzones of the Hornsea development (2 & 3) by August 2015. In 2016 Ørsted reached an agreement with the Crown Estate for amended plans for the Hornsea Two and Hornsea Three phases. Hornsea Three was split into two new projects, Hornsea Three and Hornsea Four; the new phases were expected to be developed in the 2020s. The changes increased
6808-403: The specification had been set as 165 8 MW turbines giving a rated capacity of 1.4 GW. The inter-array cables were supplied by JDR Cable Systems , installed by Seaway 7 , and operate at 66 kV. As of April 2021, a third of the turbine foundations had been installed and the remaining turbines are set to be installed during the second half of 2021. The first turbine was in place by
6900-399: The time span of glaciations classified as the Pleistocene , and includes the present interglacial time-period, the Holocene . This places the start of the Quaternary at the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation approximately 2.6 million years ago ( mya ). Prior to 2009, the Pleistocene was defined to be from 1.805 million years ago to the present, so the current definition of
6992-471: The trajectory of these figures can be made. A review of financial accounts published by the Renewable Energy Foundation in 2020 showed that UK offshore windfarm capital costs rose steadily from 2002 to around 2013, before stabilising and perhaps falling slightly. Operating costs have risen steadily up to the time of the study, but financing costs have fallen. This picture has been confirmed by
7084-427: The waters between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (164 ft) depth would on average generate a further 80 GW, i.e. 120 GW in total. An estimate of the theoretical maximum potential of the United Kingdom's offshore wind resource in all waters to 700 metres (2,300 ft) depth gives the average power as 2200 GW. The first developments in United Kingdom offshore wind power came about through
7176-459: The wind farm in early 2016. The expected completion date for the project was 2020. A £25 million contract to construct the onshore substation at North Killingholme had been awarded to Balfour Beatty in late 2015. NKT Cables and ABB were awarded €139 (c. $ 158) million and $ 250 million contracts to supply 220 kV AC export cables in March/April 2016. In late 2016 JDR Cables
7268-563: Was a major extinction of large mammals globally during the Late Pleistocene Epoch. Many forms such as sabre-toothed cats , mammoths , mastodons , glyptodonts , etc., became extinct worldwide. Others, including horses , camels and American cheetahs became extinct in North America . The Great Lakes formed and giant mammals thrived in parts of North America and Eurasia not covered in ice. These mammals became extinct when
7360-475: Was an effective windfall tax. The economics of wind power are driven by factors such as the capital, operating and finance costs, as well as the operational performance or capacity factor . These factors are in turn affected by issues such as location, turbine size and spacing and, for offshore windfarms, water depth and distance from shore. Operating costs and performance change over a windfarm's life, and several years of data are required before an assessment of
7452-502: Was awarded in early 2016, a contract for construction of four jacket type foundations for the AC platforms at its yard in Cádiz, Spain. Construction of the onshore cable route was begun in late 2016 under J. Murphy & Sons . The wind farm was scheduled to be constructed between 2018 and 2020, and expected to provide an annual production of around 4.1 terawatt-hours (TWh). The first foundation of
7544-417: Was completed in 2011 with a capacity of 183 MW. On 28 December 2011 wind power set a then record contribution to the United Kingdom's demand for electricity of 12.2%. 2012 was a significant year for the offshore wind industry with 4 large wind farms becoming operational with over 1.1 GW of generating capability coming on stream. In the year July 2012 to June 2013, offshore wind farms with
7636-593: Was completed in April 2019 and as of 3 May 2019, 28 turbines out of 174 had been installed. The final turbine was installed in October 2019 and the project was completed in early 2020. In 2019 the failure of the plant was partially responsible for a large scale nationwide power cut on the evening of 9 August. At 16:52:33 on Friday 9 August 2019, lightning struck a 400 kV mainland transmission line between Eaton Socon and Wymondley north of London, causing small generators, Little Barford Power Station (641 MW) and Hornsea (737 MW) to unexpectedly disconnect
7728-457: Was contracted to supply 242 kilometres (150 mi) of inter-array subsea power cables for the wind farm; Nexans was awarded a contract for 139 kilometres (86 mi) of inter-array cables; and EEW was awarded a contract to supply 116 monopiles. Bladt Industries / Offshore Structures (Britain) Ltd. was awarded a contract for 96 tower transition pieces in early 2017, to be constructed at Aalborg , Denmark and Billingham , UK. Dragados Offshore
7820-544: Was estimated that the use of wind power in the UK had added £18 to the average yearly electricity bill. This was the additional cost to consumers of using wind to generate about 9.3% of the annual total (see table below) – about £2 for each 1%. The building of UK wind farms has been supported through the Renewables Obligation and, since 2016, by price guarantee support through the Contracts for Difference regime too. The 2018 levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of offshore wind
7912-460: Was followed in 2023 with a record 21.6 GW on 10 January during a period of strong winds. The total offshore wind power capacity installed in the United Kingdom at the start of 2022 was 11.3 GW. The United Kingdom became the world leader of offshore wind power generation in October 2008 when it overtook Denmark . In 2013, the 175-turbine London Array wind farm, located off the Kent coast, became
8004-456: Was generated by wind power (an average of 3.2 GW, about 24% of the 13.5 GW installed capacity at the time), which contributed 9.3% of the UK's electricity requirement. In the same year, Siemens announced plans to build a £310 million ($ 264 million) facility for making offshore wind turbines in Paull, England, as Britain's wind power capacity rapidly expanded. Siemens chose
8096-401: Was given planning consent in December 2014. The CfD strike price was £140 per MWh (in 2012 prices). In early 2015 DONG acquired all of the project, becoming 100% owner. Seabed investigation including boreholes at turbine foundation positions was completed by Fugro by April 2015. In mid 2015 DONG selected Siemens Wind Power 7 MW turbines with 154 metres (505 ft) rotor turbines for
8188-665: Was in the range £100–150/MWh. However, in recent CfD auctions, strike prices as low as £39.65/MWh have been agreed for offshore wind projects, which has led to an assumption that there has been an equivalent reduction in the underlying costs. Due to the structure of the contract for difference arrangements wind generators pay the government when power prices exceed the strike price. Wholesale power prices averaged £57/MWh in 2018 and £113/MWh in 2021 before spiking above £400/MWh in 2022. Quaternary Period The Quaternary ( / k w ə ˈ t ɜːr n ə r i , ˈ k w ɒ t ər n ɛr i / kwə- TUR -nə-ree, KWOT -ər-nerr-ee )
8280-457: Was one of periodic glaciations with continental glaciers moving as far from the poles as 40 degrees latitude . Glaciation took place repeatedly during the Quaternary Ice age – a term coined by Schimper in 1839 that began with the start of the Quaternary about 2.58 Mya and continues to the present day. In 1821, a Swiss engineer, Ignaz Venetz , presented an article in which he suggested
8372-432: Was set in the three-month period from October to December 2015, with 13% of the nation's electricity demand met by wind. 2015 saw 1.2 GW of new wind power capacity brought online, a 9.6% increase of the total UK installed capacity. Three large offshore wind farms came on stream in 2015, Gwynt y Môr (576 MW max. capacity), Humber Gateway (219 MW) and Westermost Rough (210 MW). In 2016,
8464-520: Was to connect to an existing 400 kV National Grid substation at Killingholme. A variety of configurations were considered – foundations of pile jacket, monopile or gravity base; turbines from 3.6 to 8 MW rated power; with electrical power export by HVDC . Later DONG Energy added the consideration to use HVAC export cables. The chosen cable export was planned to make landfall at Horseshoe Point (northeast of Marshchapel , East Lindsey ), then passing 40 kilometres (25 mi) west and northwest to
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