UK Decides to Prioritize Offshore Wind

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UK Decides to Prioritize Offshore Wind

• Under the United Kingdom's new national
  infrastructure plan released this week, the
  government is shifting incentives toward offshore
  wind powerand away from projects on land that
  have raised objections from local
  residents.  The UK government expects to invest
  65 billion in renewable energy by 2020 and
  is raising "strike prices" for offshore wind,
  while lowering them for onshore wind farms and
  solar parks.A "strike price" is the guaranteed
  amount energy generators earn when they sign
  long-term power contracts.
• Starting in 2018, the strike price for offshore
  wind will be raised by 8 per megawatt hour (MWh)
  to 228 per MWh. 
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• DECC also wants to raise incentives for companies
  and communities that install renewable
  energy facilities that provide heat - biomass
  boilers bigger than 1 megawatt deep geothermal
  combined heat and power plants, ground-source
  heat pumps, solar thermal installations and
  biogas burners.  
• Residents in rural areas are against big onshore
  wind farms and solar parks. In this small nation,
  they scar the landscape, introduce noise into
  formerly quiet communities, and threaten
  wildlife. Final prices for the
  various renewable energy sources have been
  published and go into effect April 2015. For
  the binding and kept at that rate, finally
  giving developers  certainty about what they will
  earn.
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• It is vital that we get the level of support
  right so the market can invest with confidence,
  cost reductions can be achieved and the market
  can grow sustainably, Gregory Barker, Minister
  of State for Energy and Climate Change wrote
  to UK's Parliament. 

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• The UK already leads the world in offshore wind
  with nearly 3 gigawatts (GW) installed as of 2012
  - more than the rest of the world put together.
  This year, the first phase of London Array -
  the world's largest offshore wind farm - came
  online, bringing electricity to 500,000 homes.
• Deploying 10 gigawatts by 2020 is achievable,
  says the Department of Energy and Climate
  Change (DECC), although it hasn't necessarily set
  that as a target.  
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• This package will deliver record levels of
  investment in green energy by 2020, Ed Davey,
  Secretary of State for Energy and Climate
  Change told Bloomberg. Our reforms are
  succeeding in attracting investors from around
  the world, so Britain can replace our aging power
  stations and keep the lights on.  The
  government has to 180 billion to replace aging
  power stations and meet renewable energy and
  carbon targets. 

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• About 20 GW of renewable energy are supplying
  energy in the UK and about 11 GW are in the
  pipeline for wind, both onshore and
  offshore. Earlier this year, the government
  announced it would pay higher amounts to
  communities that host onshore wind farms, and
  also introduced guidance that makes sure affected
  residents are brought in early in the decision
  process.  
• "Cuts to onshore wind and solar support schemes
  show how quickly the cost of clean energy
  technologies are falling, Doug Parr, Policy
  Director of Greenpeace told Bloomberg. Its
  right ministers should now put emphasis onto
  helping drive down the cost of offshore wind so
  that the UK can reap the rewards of new turbine
  factories and thousands of new jobs. Offshore
  wind costs about double the price of onshore wind
  today.