Winds of change in our energy supply (From Thisisdorset)

Winds of change in our energy supply

9:35am Friday 20th February 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(1)

WIND turbines and wind farms have become a relatively common sight for anyone driving round Britain or Europe.

There are farms at 208 locations in the UK ranging from a single turbine at B&Q Manton Wood in Nottinghamshire, to 103 at Llandinam in Powys.

But what about off-shore? The sight of sea-based wind farms is everyday stuff in countries like Denmark, which generates a quarter of its energy needs through wind power. Over here, they are relatively unknown.

But that might change if any commercial interests decide to take up the Crown Estate’s offer to allow one of these green energy generators on the sea-bed off the coast of Dorset.

For more about the wind farm plans, see the Related Links

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) describes itself as the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK.

Spokesman Nick Medic said: “I don’t know of any possible application in this area,” but said news of the Crown Estate’s willingness to release part of the seabed off the coast of Dorset was “in the public domain”.

“The way off-shore wind is developed in this country is in so-called rounds,” he says. “The rounds begin with the Crown Estate setting aside part of the sea-bed in coastal waters for development. There have been three rounds so far. Compared to the previous two, round three has been designed specifically to visualise any impact and any potential environmental or aesthetic impact as observed from onshore.”

Depending on the size of the project, an application would be made to the relevant local councils or government department. After sorting out a lease with the Crown Estate, the applicant would then spend “two or three years doing the strategic and environmental assessments”.

“After a consultation process you would log your application and then you would hope for planning approval,” he says.

If the turbines are like those proposed for the London Array site off Kent and Essex, the turbines themselves could be up to 175 metres in height – the same as Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower. However, around 100 metres of this would be below the waves, leaving a visible height five times that of a double-decker bus, or 24 metres higher than Nelson’s Column.

According to the BWEA, once a suitable location is given the go-ahead, piles are driven into the sea-bed and erosion protection placed at the base to prevent damage to the sea floor. Once the turbine is assembled, sensors on it detect the wind direction and turn the head to face into the breeze so the maximum amount of energy can be used. The hub is connected to a shaft which, via a gearbox, powers a generator to convert the energy to electricity. This is moved via undersea cables to an offshore transformer and converts it to a high voltage before it is run to connect to the grid at a substation.

James Cain is a planning consultant with a special interest in wind energy projects, working at Bournemouth solicitors and planning consultants Horsey Lightly Fynn.

“By 2015, the UK is expected to contribute 40 per cent of the EU’s total offshore-wind capacity so there will be a nationwide flurry of planning applications in the next couple of years,” he says.

However, he says that planning is seen by many in the industry as a major stumbling block, both in terms of the time it takes to obtain a consent and a perceived inconsistency between government policy and the consenting process.

“Before any planning application is lodged,” he says, “there will be a thorough consultation process involving a number of stakeholders including local authorities, RSPB, the fishing industry and the shipping industry – it is at this point that the people of Dorset will be able to have their say.

“Poole Bay is a busy leisure and shipping area and of course the Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage site so obtaining planning consent will be highly controversial and will certainly not be straightforward. Any application will certainly have to be dealt with by way of a public inquiry.” But he added: “The UK is past the point of no return in terms of offshore wind power – we are now fully committed to it and the nation’s coast will see scores of wind turbines sprouting up throughout the early part of the next decade.”