First-Ever Subsidy-Free Offshore Wind Farm Halfway Done
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
These three paragraphs, outline the project.
Cadeler’s wind turbine installation vessel Wind Osprey has installed the 70th Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbine at the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.
The installation of the 70th turbine marks the halfway milestone on the 140-turbine project, Cadeler said.
Once fully installed and commissioned in the summer of 2023, Hollandse Kust Zuid will become the largest operating offshore wind farm, as well as the first one built without government subsidies.
I very much believe that in the near future many, if not all wind farms will be built without subsidy.
BP To Open Offshore Wind Office In Germany, Starts Recruitment Drive
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the first paragraph, which adds a bit more information.
Global energy major bp plans to open an office in Hamburg, Germany dedicated to the development of offshore wind projects and is in the process of seeking employees for the new office.
These are other points from the article.
- The topic of wind power is being promoted particularly in Hamburg.
- BP said that the company has already achieved a number of milestones in the field of wind energy.
- In cooperation with EnBW, bp is currently developing several wind farms in the Irish and Scottish Seas.
- Similar plans already exist for the Netherlands.
- The energy major would also like to supply charging stations for electric vehicles with green electricity.
- In Germany, wind and solar energy should account for 80 per cent of electricity generation by 2030, compared to today’s 42 per cent.
- Offshore wind energy is planned to grow seven times by 2045.
I believe that BP’s project expertise and management, backed by billions of German euros could be a complimentary dream team.
National Grid Invites Local Community To Comment On Proposals For Green Electricity Projects Needed To Boost Home-Grown Energy Supplies And Progress Towards Net Zero
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
These are the four main bullet points.
- New interconnector with Netherlands and subsea cable between Suffolk and Kent will strengthen electricity supplies and transport low carbon power to homes and businesses.
- 8-week public consultations will introduce the plans and ask for views of local communities.
- The proposals include possible co-location of infrastructure (buildings and underground cables.) to reduce the impact on local communities.
- Projects form part of the electricity network upgrades identified across the UK to help deliver the government’s energy security strategy and net zero targets.
Note.
- Eurolink is a subsea electricity cable between Great Britain and the Netherlands.
- Sea Link is a subsea electricity cable between Suffolk and Kent.
- The consultations will start on October the 24th.
This paragraph from the press release describes Eurolink.
Developed by National Grid Ventures, the Eurolink multi-purpose interconnector (MPI) is designed to harness the increasing volumes of offshore wind power in the North Sea and has the potential to power approximately 1.8 million homes. It will enable the connection of offshore wind farms to both the British and Dutch electricity grids via an interconnector, enabling the transport of clean electricity from where it’s produced to where it’s needed most.
And this paragraph describes Sea Link.
Developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission, Sea Link will add additional capacity to the electricity network in Suffolk and Kent, enabling low carbon and green energy to power local homes and businesses and be transported around the country. The proposals outline a preferred route of 10km of onshore and 140km of undersea cables, together with potential landfall and converter station locations at the proposed Friston substation in Suffolk and in Richborough in Kent.
These two new interconnectors would appear to open up the delivery of green electricity to the South-East of England and the Continent.
As I’ve said before, there doesn’t be any shortage of money to build wind farms and interconnectors between Great Britain, Belgium and The Netherlands.
How Much Wind Capacity Is Lined Up Around The South-East Of England?
Wind farms listed in the area include.
- Operation – Dudgeon – 402 MW
- Operation – East Anglia One – 714 MW
- Operation – Greater Gabbard – 504 MW
- Operation – Gunfleet Sands – 184 MW
- Operation -Kentish Flats – 140 MW
- Operation – London Array – 630 MW
- Operation – Rampion – 400 MW
- Operation – Scoby Sands – 60 MW
- Operation – Sheringham Shoal – 317 MW
- Operation – Thanet – 300 MW
- Proposed – East Anglia Three – 1372 MW
- Proposed – Norfolk Boreas – 1386 MW
- Exploratory – East Anglia One North – 800 MW
- Exploratory – East Anglia Two – 900 MW
- Exploratory – Rampion 2 Extension – 1200 MW
- Exploratory – Norfolk Vanguard – 1800 MW
- Exploratory – North Falls – 504 MW
- Exploratory – Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extensions – 719 MW
Note.
- These wind farms total to 12.3 GW.
- As the UK needs about 23 GW, these wind farms can power about half the UK.
- But no matter, as the East Anglian Array is planned to go to 7.2 GW and only 4.7 GW is so far operational or planned.
- So there could be up to another 2.5 GW to come.
This is not bad news for Rishi Sunak’s first days in office.
There’s More To Come
The National Grid press release finishes with these two paragraphs.
Last year, National Grid Ventures also ran a non-statutory consultation on Nautilus, a proposed MPI linking Britain and Belgium, which proposed a connection at Friston. National Grid Ventures is now investigating the potential to move the Nautilus MPI project to the Isle of Grain in Kent.
Much of the UK’s electricity network was built in the 1960s when the country was more reliant on fossil fuels. Today, we need to connect huge volumes of renewable power, such as offshore wind, to the network, to help deliver the government’s energy security strategy and net zero targets and to transition to a cleaner, more affordable, and more independent energy system. New infrastructure, and network upgrades are necessary to get the new clean energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed.In addition to these proposals in Suffolk and Kent (and the East Anglia GREEN proposals which are currently being consulted on) the need for new network infrastructure has also been identified in North and South Wales, the Scottish Islands and West Coast, the East Coast of Scotland and Aberdeenshire, Lancashire, North-East England, and Yorkshire & Humber.
National Grid have numerous plans to connect up all the renewable energy being developed.
How To Store Excess Wind Power Underwater
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
The article talks why batteries are needed and then describes the Ocean Battery.
But one firm, which won a 2022 Best of Innovation award at the CES technology show earlier this year, believes it has the solution.
Dutch startup, Ocean Grazer, has developed the Ocean Battery, which stores energy below the wind farm.
When there is excess electricity the system pumps water from an underground reservoir into tough, flexible bladders that sit on the sea bed. You could think of them like big bicycle inner tubes.
The water in those tubes is under pressure, so when it is released the water flows quickly and is directed through turbines, also on the sea bed, generating electricity when needed.
“The Ocean Battery, is effectively based on the same technology as hydro storage, where water is pumped back through a dam in a river, though we have transformed it into something you can deploy on the sea bed,” says chief executive Frits Bliek.
There is a visualisation of the system and a picture of their prototype.
North Seas Countries Commit To 260 GW Of Offshore Wind By 2050
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewables Now.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The nine member countries of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) on Monday committed to at least 260 GW of offshore wind energy by 2050.
The NSEC aims to advance offshore renewables in the North Seas, including the Irish and Celtic Seas, and groups Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission.
Note.
Intermediate targets are 76 GW by 2030 and 193 GW by 2040.
The UK has a target of 50 GW by 2030, of which 5 GW will be floating offshore wind.
The UK is not mentioned, but has joint projects with the Danes, Germans, Irish, Norwegians, Spanish and Swedes.
There is nothing about energy storage or hydrogen!
On the figures given, I think we’re holding our own. But then we’ve got more sea than anybody else.
Germany Has Potential For 82 GW Of Offshore Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewables Now.
These are the two introductory paragraphs.
Germany has the potential to raise its offshore wind energy capacity to 81.6 GW which is above the federal government’s target of 70 GW by 2045, a study by research institute Fraunhofer IWES shows.
To exploit all the potential for wind energy in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Germany needs to devise a strategy for more efficient use of the available space and use new offshore wind power technologies in additional areas in a way that will not raise concerns and affect nature conservation.
This map shows the German parts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Note.
- White lines show the borders with The Netherlands, Denmark and Poland.
- Heligoland in the South-East corner of the North Sea. Could this island be used as a giant offshore substation?
- There are plenty of ports to service offshore developments.
- It looks like compared to the UK, a fair proportion of German offshore wind farms will be closer to the land.
Currently, Germany has 7.8 GW of offshore wind in operation, with around seventy percent of the turbines in the North Sea.
According to the Wikipedia entry called Wind Power In The UK, in 2019, the UK had installed 8.4 GW of offshore wind turbines, and there could be a potential to have a total of 120 GW in British waters.
With the Belgians, Danes, Dutch, Irish, Norwegians, Poles and Swedes joining this party, I can see the world’s largest wind power station being developed in the North and Baltic Seas.
The Plans For Giant Seaweed Farms In European Waters
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
The article describes how the Dutch are developing the growing and harvesting of seaweed.
This is all fascinating stuff and reminds me of reading of a company called Alginate Industries in the Meccano Magazine in the 1950s.
I can’t find much about the company, except that they were taken over by Merck & Co in 1979.
The Wikipedia entry for alginic acid, gives this information on alginates.
Alginates are refined from brown seaweeds. Throughout the world, many of the Phaeophyceae class brown seaweeds are harvested to be processed and converted into sodium alginate. Sodium alginate is used in many industries including food, animal food, fertilisers, textile printing, and pharmaceuticals. Dental impression material uses alginate as its means of gelling. Food grade alginate is an approved ingredient in processed and manufactured foods.
I remember the Meccano Magazine saying that alginates were an important food additive and UK production came from the North of Scotland.
This page on the Secret Scotland wiki gives details of current alginate production in Scotland.
Has Wikipedia replaced the Meccano Magazine, as a source of information for scientifically-inquisitive children?
Will We Run Out Of Power This Winter?
Someone asked me if we will run out of power, if Vlad the Mad cuts all the gas to Western Europe.
This was my reply.
It appears that this year, 3.2 GW of new offshore wind farms could start producing electricity, followed by similar amounts in both 2023 and 2024.
One of those to come on stream about now is the 1.4 GW Hornsea 2 wind farm!
The follow-up 2.9 GW Hornsea 3, signed a contract last week for delivery in 2026/27.
Moray East in Scotland and Triton Knoll off Lincolnshire, are also scheduled to come on stream this year and they’re around 900 MW each.
As someone, who used to write project management software, I hope the companies building these fields have enough resources, in terms of people, boats, cranes and money. But as the companies are all the Shells of the wind industry, I would hope they have got their sums right.
What About The Contracts for Difference Awarded In Allocation Round 4?
We are currently fighting two wars at the moment.
- The main war in Ukraine, where we are giving that unfortunate country all the help we can.
- The secondary war in the UK against energy prices.
Would it help our cause in both wars, if we produced more energy?
- More renewable energy would reduce our dependence on imported gas.
- The gas saved could go to Europe.
- Europe would not be buying Vlad the Mad’s bloodstained gas.
- Replacing gas with solar and wind power might reduce energy prices.
If I put myself in the position of a struggling farmer with a contract for difference to build a solar farm on a poor field, I would want that farm to be earning money as soon as possible.
- Now that I have the contract can I start assembling that solar farm?
- Similar arguments can probably be used for onshore wind, which must be easier to assemble, than offshore wind.
- I don’t think that the hard-pressed energy suppliers would bother, if they received some quality cheap electricity earlier than they expected.
- Obviously, all the cables and the substations would need to be in place.
So I think that it is reasonable to assume, that energy might ramp up quicker than expected.
It could even be more front-loaded, if all the installers got a shift on.
Every little helps!
New Renewable Energy In 2023?
These wind farms are scheduled for commissioning in 2023.
- Neart Na Gaoithe – 450 MW
- Sofia Offshore Wind Farm – 1400 MW
- Seagreen Phase 1 – 1075 MW
We could see 2925 MW of offshore wind power commissioned in 2023.
New Renewable Energy In 2024?
These renewable energy sources are scheduled for commissioning in 2024.
- Dogger Bank A – 1200 MW
- Round 4 Solar – 125.7 MW
- Dogger Bank B – 1200 MW
- Dogger Bank C – 1200 MW
Note, where a windfarm is given a commissioning date of 2023/24 in Wikipedia , I will put it in 2024.
We could see 3726 MW of renewable energy commissioned in 2024.
New Renewable Energy In 2025?
These renewable energy sources are scheduled for commissioning in 2025.
- Moray West – 1200 MW
- Round 4 Solar – 1958 MW
- Round 4 Onshore Wind – 888 MW
- Round 4 Energy from Waste – 30 MW
- Vanguard Boreas Phase 1 – 1400 GW
We could see 6476 MW of renewable energy commissioned in 2025.
New Renewable Energy In 2026?
These renewable energy sources are scheduled for commissioning in 2026.
- East Anglia 1 North – 800 MW
- East Anglia 2 – 900 MW
- Round 4 Tidal Stream – 5.62 MW
We could see 1705 MW of renewable energy commissioned in 2026.
New Renewable Energy In 2027?
These renewable energy sources are scheduled for commissioning in 2027.
- Round 4 Tidal Stream – 35.2 MW
- Round 4 Floating Offshore Wind – 32 MW
- Round 4 Offshore Wind – 5594 MW
- Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind – 2852 MW
- Hinckley Point C Nuclear – 3,260 MW
We could see 13173 MW of renewable energy commissioned in 2027.
Too Much Electricity!
Summarising the figures for new capacity gives.
- 2022 – 3200 MW
- 2023 – 2925 MW
- 3024 – 3726 MW
- 2025 – 6476 MW
- 2026 – 1705 MW
- 2027 – 11773 MW
This totals to 28554 MW.
One problem we may have is too much electricity and as we are not blessed with much storage in the UK, where will be able to put it?
In a strange way, Vlad the Mad may solve the problem, by cutting off Europe’s gas.
We have a few interconnectors, where we can export the electricity to allow the Belgians, Dutch, French and the Germans to have a shower.
- BritNed – 1 GW – Isle of Grain and Rotterdam
- ElecLink – 1 GW – England and France through the Channel Tunnel.
- HVDC Cross-Channel – 2 GW – England and France
- IFA-2 – 1 GW – England and France
- Nemo Link – 1 GW – Richborough and Zeebrugge
- North Sea Link – 1.4 GW – Blyth and Norway
- Viking Link – 1.4 GW – Lincolnshire and Denmark
It looks like construction may be starting soon for another interconnector. NeuConnect will have a capacity of 1.4 GW between the Isle of Grain and Wilhelmshaven.
Conclusion
If I was the German Chancellor, I’d do everything in my power to accelerate the construction of NeuConnect!
Shell To Start Building Europe’s Largest Renewable Hydrogen Plant
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Shell.
This is the first paragraph.
Shell Nederland B.V. and Shell Overseas Investments B.V., subsidiaries of Shell plc, have taken the final investment decision to build Holland Hydrogen I, which will be Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant once operational in 2025.
Theconstruction timeline for Holland Hydrogen 1 is not a long one.
The next paragraph describes the size and hydrogen production capacity.
The 200MW electrolyser will be constructed on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day.
200 MW is large!
The next paragraph details the source of the power.
The renewable power for the electrolyser will come from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord), which is partly owned by Shell.
These are my thoughts.
Refhyne
Refhyne is a joint project between Shell and ITM Power, with backing from the European Commission, that has created a 10 MW electrolyser in Cologne.
The 1300 tonnes of hydrogen produced by this plant will be integrated into refinery processes.
Refhyne seems to have been very much a prototype for Holland Hydrogen 1.
World’s Largest Green Hydrogen Project – With 100MW Electrolyser – Set To Be Built In Egypt
The sub-title is the title, of this article on Recharge.
It looks like Holland Hydrogen 1, is double the current largest plant under construction.
Shell is certainly going large!
Will ITM Power Be Working Again With Shell?
Refhyne has probably given Shell a large knowledge base about ITM Power’s electrolysers.
But Refhyne is only 10 MW and Holland Hydrogen 1 is twenty times that size.
This press release from ITM Power is entitled UK Government Award £9.3 m For Gigastack Testing.
This is the first paragraph.
ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, announces that the Company has been awarded a contract by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), under its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition, to accelerate the commercial deployment of ITM Power’s 5 MW Gigastack platform and its manufacture. The award for the Gigatest project is for £9.3m and follows initial designs developed through previous BEIS funding competitions.
Note.
- The Gigastack is 2.5 times bigger, than ITM Power’s previously largest electrolyser.
- Forty working in parallel, in much the same way that the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, will be needed for Holland Hydrogen 1.
- ITM Power have the world’s largest electrolyser factory, with a capacity of one GW. They have plans to create a second factory.
ITM Power would probably be Shell’s low-risk choice.
My company dealt with Shell a lot in the 1970s, with respect to project management software and we felt, that if Shell liked you, they kept giving you orders.
The Hollandse Kust Noord Wind Farm
This wind farm is well described on its web site, where this is the introduction on the home page.
CrossWind, a joint-venture between Shell and Eneco, develops and will operate the Hollandse Kust Noord subsidy-free offshore wind project.
Hollandse Kust Noord is located 18.5 kilometers off the west coast of the Netherlands near the town of Egmond aan Zee.
CrossWind plans to have Hollandse Kust Noord operational in 2023 with an installed capacity of 759 MW, generating at least 3.3 TWh per year.
This Google Map shows the location of Egmond aan Zee.
Note that the red arrow points to Egmond aan Zee.
Will The Electrolyser Be Operational In 2025?
If Shell choose ITM Power to deliver the electrolysers, I don’t think Shell are being that ambitious.
I would suspect that connecting up an electrolyser is not the most complicated of construction tasks.
- Build the foundations.
- Fix the electrolyser in place.
- Connect power to one end.
- Connect gas pipes to the other.
- Switch on and test.
Note.
- If ITM Power deliver electrolysers that work, then the installation is the sort of task performed on chemical plants all over the world.
- ITM Power appear to have tapped the UK Government for money to fund thorough testing of the 5 MW Gigastack electrolyser.
- Enough wind power from Hollandse Kust Noord, should be generated by 2025.
I feel it is very much a low risk project.
Shell’s Offshore Electrolyser Feasibility Study
This is mentioned in this article in The Times, which describes Holland Hydrogen 1, where this is said.
Shell is also still involved in a feasibility study to deploy electrolysers offshore alongside the offshore wind farm. It has suggested this could enable more efficient use of cabling infrastructure.
I very much feel this is the way to go.
Postscript
I found this article on the Dutch Government web site, which is entitled Speech By Prime Minister Mark Rutte At An Event Announcing The Construction Of Holland Hydrogen 1.
This is an extract.
By building Holland Hydrogen 1, Shell will give the Dutch hydrogen market a real boost.
So congratulations are in order.
And this is only the beginning.
Because countless companies and knowledge institutions are working now to generate the hydrogen economy of tomorrow.
The government is supporting this process by investing in infrastructure, and by granting subsidies.
Because we want to achieve our climate goals, though the war in Ukraine won’t make it any easier.
We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas.
We want the Netherlands to lead the way in the European energy transition.
And all these ambitions are combined in the Holland Hydrogen 1 project.
Mark Rutte seems to believe in hydrogen.
Conclusion
This is a very good example of the sort of large electrolyser, we’ll be seeing all over the world.
In fact, if this one works well, how many 200 MW electrolysers will Shell need all over the world?
Will they all be identical?
The Anonymous Widower 