Wind is Cheaper

We recently published an article about the tumbling cost and growing impact of offshore wind energy in the UK. Today’s press has simply reaffirmed the power of offshore wind energy and confirmed that it is undoubtedly cheaper than nuclear. Bigger turbines, higher voltage cables and cheaper foundations have all contributed to bringing costs down; and the oil and gas downturn has accelerated renewable energy’s growth.

Richard Harrington, the energy minister, said: “The offshore wind sector alone will invest £17.5bn in the UK up to 2021 and thousands of new jobs in British businesses will be created by the projects announced today.”

The shift in energy sources also creates huge possibilities for businesses, Dong Energy UK is a fantastic example of this growth and have been awarded a contract to build its Hornsea Project Two wind farm 89km off the East Yorkshire coast. The project could create huge economical benefits for East Yorkshire and will ultimately create highly-skilled jobs across the north, the new development will overtake Hornsea Project One and is expected to be operational from 2022.

Caroline Lucas, Co-leader of the Green Party believes this massive price drop for offshore wind is a huge boost for the renewable’s industry and believes it is the final nail in the coffin for nuclear. The co-leader might be in for a surprise though, as many still argue as wind power is intermittent nuclear energy is still very much required in today’s market. This debate is clearly set to go on for some time and we will do our very best to keep you informed.

PASS Training and Development also recognise the renewable growth in the industry, which is exactly why we have integrated Wind Turbine SAP Training into our recent High Voltage Course portfolio to meet the demand in the market. High Voltage Courses are the newest addition to the courses we are able to provide, for which we have built a completely new facility to ensure our candidates get the highest possible standard of training.