Britain and the US to reach agreement on floating wind turbines
Floating wind turbines are to be the initial focus of a new agreement between Britain and the United States this week as international talks convene in London to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies.
Floating wind turbines are to be the initial focus of a new agreement between Britain and the United States this week as international talks convene in London to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies.
On Wednesday and Thursday Energy Ministers from 23 of the world’s leading economies will gather in London to discuss accelerating the transition to clean energy technologies.
The Clean Energy Ministerial will be co-chaired by UK .jpg)
Energy Secretary Edward Davey and US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who will be responsible for the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ‘Collaboration in Energy Related Fields’.
The initiative will cover collaboration in areas such as power generation (including low carbon technologies to combat climate change), energy transmission and distribution and energy efficiency.
As one of the first examples of work supporting the MoU the two countries will collaborate on floating wind to ensure that the US and UK align our resources to maximise the impact for both countries.
Floating wind technology is designed to generate power in deep waters currently off limits to conventional turbines but where the wind is much stronger.
“Britain has more wind turbines installed around its shores than any other country in the world and our market is rated year after year as the most attractive market among investors,” said Energy Secretary Edward Davey.
Exploiting this economically, particularly in deeper waters off the UK’s west coast, will require significant technology developments to build large offshore wind arrays. Much of the deeper waters between 60 and 100 metres are too deep for fixed structures but benefit from consistently higher wind speeds.
Floating wind technologies could therefore open up new areas off the coast of the UK. It is hoped that this will ultimately increase the potential of this sector, particularly post 2020 as the available shallow water sites are developed, to help meet the nation’s decarbonisation and energy security targets.
“Offshore wind is critical for the UK’s energy future and there is big interest around the world in what we’re doing,” added Davey.
“The UK and US are both making funding available for this technology and we’re determined to work together to capitalise on this shared intent.”
Images: Climate Action Stock Photos