Wind&WaveCONNECT Edition 2

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Wind&WaveCONNECT

Wind&WaveCONNECT CONNECTING THE WIND & WAVE ENERGY INDUSTRIES

F O R

M A N A G E M E N T

WWW.WINDANDWAVECONNECT.CO.UK

&

P R O C U R E M E N T ISSUE 2 JUNE 2011 £9.50

Issue 2 June 2011 CONNECTING THE WIND & WAVE ENERGY INDUSTRIES

Sea Trials Innovative new tidal energy device

The Crown Estate UK's unique approach to seabed ownership and management

Orkney home to Europe's marine energy test centre

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Introduction

Issue 02 June - August 2011 EDITORIAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Julia Dingwall Tel: 01937 580418 Email: julia.dingwall@theconnectseries.co.uk

Welcome to the second edition of Wind&WaveCONNECT, a publication available on-line at www.windandwaveconnect.co.uk and in print format.

MANAGING DIRECTOR Dan Connew Tel: 01937 580400

I am pleased to say that feedback since our launch has been very encouraging and we hope to continue receiving the positive comments. Please get in contact if you have any suggestions, features or photos we really do welcome your input.

SALES DIRECTOR David Wightman Tel: 01937 580401 Email: david.wightman@theconnectseries.co.uk

I hope you enjoy reading our feature articles. In this edition we look at the investments being made in UK ports and the developments planned for Alexandra Dock, Port of Hull.

We also explore the unique facilities in use at Orkney's European Marine Energy Test Centre and a new innovative underwater technology: the Tidal Kite.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Finn Langley Tel: 01937 580423 Email: finn.langley@theconnectseries.co.uk

We at Wind&WaveCONNECT want to contribute towards improving communication within the wind and wave energy arena. We have included a directory to give a handy up to date reference section covering the range of companies and breadth of products and services available to the wind and wave energy industries. If your company isn't currently listed, please refer to our Inclusion Form on page 87/88.

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tracey Bramall Tel: 01937 580406 Email: tracey.bramall@theconnectseries.co.uk STUDIO MANAGER Andy Bickerdike Tel: 01937 580407 Email: andy.bickerdike@theconnectseries.co.uk

Again, Wind&WaveCONNECT is about your industry and so we welcome your editorial contributions and look forward to publishing your views.

For more information on supplying editorial contribution, please visit: www.windandwaveconnect.co.uk/contact-us I look forward to hearing from you!

Published by

Julia Dingwall Editorial Account Manager

Group Information Services Ltd, 2 Highcliffe Court, Greenfold Lane, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 6RG. Tel: (01937) 580400 Fax: (01937) 580499 Email: office@gisltd.co.uk Web: www.gisltd.co.uk The design and layout of this directory remains the property of Group Information Services Ltd, it must not be reproduced or transmitted to a third party without prior written consent. Š April 2010. The publisher can not accept responsibility for the accuracy of the content, or for any errors, omissions or mis-statements, nor can the publisher accept responsibility for the copy supplied by the advertisers.

The publisher shall not be liable for any direct or indirect or consequential loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of relying on any statement in or omission from these articles. Opinions expressed in these articles are not the opinions of the publishers.

STAND OUT FROM THE REST Contact Sales on 01937 580477 Showcase your company in front of over 3000 key

buyers and decision makers with an Enhanced Directory Listing Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Introduction

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Wales moves one step closer to capturing tidal energy potential The 1.2MW tidal energy demonstration project which will be located at Ramsey Sound off Pembrokeshire will be the first of its kind in Wales

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11 Professor Stephen Salter awarded Saltire Prize Medal

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development of marine energy

Industry News 7

Getting to know Sam Pick Business Development Director at Renewables Network

8

Industry News

in recognition of his key role in the

12 Quarter 4 contribution of wind goes up 24% 13 Whitelee wind farm presented with prestigious Queen’s award for sustainability following recommendation from Prime Minister David Cameron

Renewable Energy business network welcomes E.ON as newest member

14 Port business leader calls for more 'coordinated' approach to offshore wind revolution

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15 Aquamarine Power welcomes Western Isles marine energy research project that could help to make the Hebrides one of the most valuable and sought after energy sites in Europe

Diary of Events 16 Diary of Events Essential events to attend in the forthcoming months

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THE CONNECT TEAM

Andy Bickerdike Studio Manager

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Wind&WaveCONNECT

Liz Boyle Financial Controller

Jo Brotheridge Data Executive

Tracey Bramall Production Manager

Dan Connew Managing Director

Julia Dingwall Account Manager

Introduction

Feature 4

Directory

Port of Hull and Siemens investment to serve east of England offshore wind farms

33 Category Listings

European turbine makers set up

33 Cabling

Search for companies you need by their category of services.

manufacturing facilities in Britain

37 Foundation

18 The Crown Estate: UK's unique approach to seabed ownership and management Wind&WaveCONNECT looks at the organisation responsible for managing

41 Manufacturing, Operation & Maintenance

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49 Onshore & Substation 53 Other Services

one of the largest property portfolios in the UK: the crown property

20 Orkney, home to Europe's marine energy test centre enables developers to test devices in unrivalled conditions

24 Innovative new tidal energy device undergoing sea trials

Health & Safety 28 Recognising the Health and Safety Challenges of Offshore Wind The wind industry should look to other sectors for learning opportunities.

‘underwater kite’ set to be tested

As discussed by Lisa C. Mallon,

in the Irish Sea this summer

EH&S Manager - GE Energy

Law

Training

55 Professional Services 65 Sea-Based Support 71 Survey 75 Alphabetical Supplier Listings Search for companies you need by their name.

Website For all the latest vacancies

26 Can the UK Catch the Wave?

30 Delivering green training opportunities

How do we maximise the opportunity to become a global leader in wave and tidal power?

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Sam Eason Media Sales

SDS recognises the critical requirement to develop industry relevant skills to support the sector

Finn Langley R & D Manager

Website now at

www.windandwaveconnect.co.uk

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Angela Johnson Media Sales

Visit the Wind&WaveCONNECT

Suzanne Mclean Media Sales

James Parnham Media Sales

David Wightman Sales Director

Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Feature

Port of Hull and Siemens investment to serve east of England offshore wind farms

by Penny Hitchin

Image courtesy of Siemens 4

Wind&WaveCONNECT

Feature

The UK leads the world in generating electricity from offshore wind. Yet only around 6 per cent of the wind farm components are made in the UK. This is likely to be redressed as the big European turbine makers set up manufacturing facilities in Britain. Siemens is first out the blocks with plans to build a new plant at the east coast port of Hull. ince medieval times the economy of Kingston upon Hull has been built on trading, fishing and seafaring.

In the 21st century the city plans to become England's leading East coast centre for a very modern industry, the North Sea offshore wind sector.

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The development of Round Three offshore wind farms will see 5000 new turbines, generating 32 GW of wind energy, installed around Britain's coast.

Over 20GW of this is due to be located off the English coast in the North Sea. Construction is set to begin in 2014. By that time Hull wants to be England's leading centre for manufacturing and shipping offshore wind turbines.

In January 2011, the port's owner, Associated British Ports (ABP) and German engineering conglomerate Siemens announced joint plans for the construction of a new wind turbine manufacturing and export facility at the Alexandra Dock, Hull. The proposed facility will manufacture the massive turbine blades

needed to build the giant Round 3 North Sea wind farms. Manufacturing the turbines and other components in the UK will boost the economy by creating new manufacturing industry, creating construction work on and offshore, and service contracts for wind farm maintenance. Siemens will invest around ÂŁ80m in the plant while ABP will make its largest ever capital investment of ÂŁ100m to make Hull's new deepwater berth capable of handling the giant wind turbines. The plan is for the factory to be operational by 2013 directly creating 800 jobs with the potential for maybe ten times that number through the supply chain. Hull beat off competition from neighbouring ports in Teesside, Sunderland and the Humber which were also in the running for the Siemens facility.

Siemens is one of Europe's major turbine manufacturers (others include Vestas of Denmark; Gamesa of Spain and Enercon of Germany). Siemens manufactures offshore wind turbines in Denmark and is building new plant in China and the USA. Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Feature

Image courtesy of Siemens

Artist’s impression of new development at Alexandra Dock, Port of Hull Planning process underway:

funding for offshore wind manufacturing

construction could start in 2012

would escape the coalition Comprehensive

Currently ABP and Siemens have a Memorandum of Understanding, but the contract will not be signed until later this year when more planning and development work has taken place.

Spending Review axe. The funding has

ABP has teamed with local stakeholders Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the University of Hull to launch Green Port Hull, a £100m redevelopment of Alexandra Dock. Green Port Hull is directly adjacent to a natural deep water channel, so is well positioned for the receipt of raw materials, components, pre-assembly and dispatch of wind turbines out to sea.

survived, but the delivery method is being changed, with the offshore wind infrastructure competition being replaced by awards from the Grant for Business Investment scheme. The government says that this will speed up the process of assessing applications.

Offshore wind manufacturers in England can apply for financial support for largescale manufacturing investment in assisted areas to enable offshore wind deployment by 2020. Offshore wind manufacturers with large-scale coastal manufacturing

of Hull: the massive 9GW Dogger Bank scheme and the 4GW Hornsea scheme.

The Hornsea offshore wind farm lies between 34 km and 190 km off the Yorkshire coast, adjacent to the River Humber, 200 km south of Newcastle and 75 km north of the Wash. The area covers 4,735 km2 and is approximately the width of the UK from Liverpool to Hull.

Water depths across the zone are between 30 and 40 m, with maximum depths 70 m.

Massive, robust equipment will be needed to set up the 4GW offshore wind farm.

The license for the Hornsea offshore wind farm has been awarded to SMart Wind, a joint venture (JV) between Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH. The JV is a vertically integrated consortium with a broad capacity across the major deliverables. Siemens new 30,000 m sq Hull manufacturing facility will provide turbines and other components for Hornsea.

At this stage the company is still scoping which other components will be made on site. It says the nacelles will be produced and assembled in the UK.

ABP has planning approval for the development of a 600m riverside berth at Alexandra Dock that will be incorporated into the ABP/Siemens development. Some details of the Harbour Revision Order need to be amended to accommodate the wind turbine manufacture facilities and existing Alexandra Dock customers will re-locate to Hull's King George Dock.

requirements such as turbine, foundation,

The planning application will be submitted later in the summer and the developers are hoping that the decision from Hull City Council will allow building work to start in spring 2011.

coastal locations in the UK, and will be

Government support for offshore

East coast of England leads the way

south of the Humber in 2014. The remaining

wind manufacturing capacity

on Round 3

3GW is planned for construction between

To the relief of the offshore wind sector the UK coalition government confirmed in October 2010 that the £60m of Government

Thirteen GW of Round 3 offshore wind generation will be constructed off the Yorkshire coast within easy reach

2015 and 2020. Exciting times are ahead

cable and tower manufacturers can bid for the funding which is available from April 2011 to March 2015.

The £60m will support offshore wind manufacturers looking to locate new facilities in ports in assisted areas in England. Siemens, GE and Gamesa are all keen to open manufacturing plants at relying on receiving a share of this funding to support their ambitions. The ABP/Siemens

SMart Wind has a grid connection for

project is projected to receive around

the first Gigawatt (GW) of its 4GW Hornsea

£20m from the fund.

offshore wind development to connect to the National Grid Killingholme substation

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as the new industry kicks in recharging the Humberside economy.

Industry News

Getting to know Sam Pick 1.Who are you?

Business Development Director at Renewables Network.

2. What brought you into the industry/your position?

7. What was your worst holiday?

Paris. My girlfriend at the time wanted to go. I wanted to be romantic. It was the final nail in the coffin.

16. If you could time travel, where would you go and who would you want to meet?

Donington Park racing circuit, 1993 European Grand Prix - to meet Ayrton Senna after he drove one of the most

by myself and Paul Luen with the goal

8. What is the best advice you've been given?

of developing opportunities, wealth

“Sometimes you've got to lose to win”

fifth to first on the opening lap in wet

Renewables Network was founded

conditions.

and growth within the rapidlydeveloping renewable energy sector.

9 What makes you laugh?

Paul and I have successful track

I'm a big fan of 1980s sitcoms with Only Fools & Horses and Minder being highlights. That said I'll laugh at most things. It's a choice in life; you either laugh or cry. I've always chosen to laugh!

records in business start-up and strategic development within the marine, innovation and service sectors.

3. Family status?

Single

10 What do you do in your spare time?

4. What inspires you?

I'm currently training to play American Football so the gym is taking up a lot of time. Other than that I love to travel and attend motor races in the UK and USA.

In relation to marine renewables, the opportunity to establish the UK as the industry world leader is an opportunity that keeps me going! service sector to drive economic growth.

11 What is your favourite music/artist?

After the “credit crunch” we have all

Elvis Presley.

Over the years we have relied on the

amazing races in his career, going from

now seen that the emperor had no

17. What book are you reading at present?

The Big Short by Michael Lewis.

18. Do you support any teams?

Dallas Cowboys and Scunthorpe United.

19. What law/legislation would you like to see introduced?

I would like to see a cap on government spending relative to GDP. Over the past 15 years the UK economy has suffered due to continued increases in government spending relative to the government's income. Often this has been on projects that are politically

a long-term, sustainable, global

12. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

industry here in the UK.

The Lincoln Lawyer.

to the UK economy. This spending needs

5. Who is your hero and why?

13. If money was not a factor, what would you do/buy tomorrow?

that directly provide jobs and opportunity

motorsport.

I would buy a brand new Mustang Shelby GT.

20. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

6. What was your best holiday?

14. What 3 words would best describe you?

USA - numerous trips over to

Entrepreneur, positive, approachable

clothes and now it's time to build

motivated rather than delivering benefit to be controlled and directed at projects

Bill France - the man who transformed NASCAR into a powerful, successful

for UK businesses and workers.

Driving a Mustang Shelby GT!

the Promised Land and I love it every time. Wide open spaces, great people and wonderful food.

Specifically I enjoy attending NASCAR auto racing events; particularly at Bristol, Tennessee.

15. What talents would you like to have?

I would like to be a good football player. Training so far shows I have a long way to go!

Continuing to play a key role in supporting the development of the marine renewables industry. This is an exciting, high growth industry that has real potential to deliver long term sustainable growth for UK businesses and workers. I am proud of the role I have played to date and will continue to build on this.

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Industry News

Sam Pick, business development director of the Renewables Network

Renewable Energy business network welcomes E.ON as newest member E.ON, the company developing the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, has become the latest member of a networking organisation that supports renewable energy businesses.

The company's decision to join the

of the UK's leading energy companies,

Renewables Network comes just weeks

so we're delighted to welcome them to

after the development, which will have up

the Renewables Network.

to 77 turbines and the capacity to provide

“Our members include dozens of local SMEs who look forward to working with E.ON as the company develops its Humber Gateway offshore wind farm.

up to 150,000 homes with clean, renewable energy, received planning approval from the Government.

E.ON joins more than 100 other businesses and organisations, including several from across the Humber area, in being a member of the Renewables Network.

Matthew Swanwick, Humber Gateway project manager, said: “We're keen to bring opportunities to the Humber region and as a member of the Renewables Network we hope to build a database of potential suppliers to draw on for the onshore and offshore elements of the construction of the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm.”

The network's directors said the move shows that E.ON is keen to work with local businesses in relation to the Humber Gateway development, to be located 8km off the Holderness coast, East Yorkshire.

Sam Pick, business development director of the Renewables Network, said: “E.ON is one 8

Wind&WaveCONNECT

“One of the ways in which we hope this will happen is by supporting E.ON on potential 'meet the buyer' events, where more information will be available on how businesses can work with the company.”

The 230MW Humber Gateway wind farm is set to provide employment and contract opportunities in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire during both its construction and operation.

Mr Pick said: “Humber Gateway is a hugely important development and illustrates how the region is playing an increasingly pivotal role in providing a secure and reliable supply of electricity for individuals and businesses across the UK.” In February, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) granted planning approval to build Humber Gateway.

The decision followed onshore planning consent being given for a new substation on industrial land near Saltend, to the east of Hull, in 2010. The substation will connect the wind farm to the national grid via 30km of underground cable.

Once operational, Humber Gateway will be E.ON's fifth offshore wind farm in the UK. The company already owns and operates the UK's first offshore wind farm off the coast of Blyth in Northumberland, Scroby Sands off the coast of Great Yarmouth, and one of the UK's largest offshore wind farms - Robin Rigg - in the Solway Firth. E.ON is also a partner in the London Array, which will be the world's largest offshore wind farm when built.

Almost half (40 per cent) of all offshore wind turbines in Europe were developed by E.ON last year.

Industry News

Wales moves one step closer to capturing tidal energy potential

A unique project that will develop innovative technology

Images courtesy of Tidal Energy Ltd

to test clean electricity generation from the tides off the West Wales coast has received the necessary consents from the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Welsh Assembly Government, Environment Minister, Jane Davidson announced today (31st March).

The consents will allow Tidal Energy Ltd's device, to provide a sustainable source of electricity to the people of St David's during its 12 month test period, and will see the project powering around 1,000 homes.

The project has received more than £500,000 from the European Regional Development Fund.

The 1.2MW tidal energy demonstration project which will be located at Ramsey Sound off Pembrokeshire will be the first of its kind in Wales.

The technology for the project is due to be assembled locally in order to provide skilled jobs and a welcome boost for the local economy. The device has been specifically designed to be sensitive to the local environment.

Speaking about the announcement, the Minister said: “Our energy policy statement, A Low Carbon Revolution, outlines that Wales has the potential to produce nearly twice the amount of electricity it currently uses, through wholly renewable sources by 2025.

“Developing and investing in renewable technologies such as 'DeltaStream' is vital if we are to meet our energy targets and drive forward Wales' ambitions to become a more sustainable nation.

Today's announcement takes us a step closer to the sustainable delivery of marine energy in Wales.

“This project shows our commitment to getting pre-commercial devices into the water, so that their performance can be monitored. This will help to move the industry along and support the development of much needed field data. It demonstrates Wales' commitment to leading the way in producing clean, renewable energy for the benefit of our communities and for Wales' beautiful environment.”

whole. We have taken a great stride forward today, which will enable us to deploy our first full-scale DeltaStream device in Ramsey Sound, Pembrokeshire in early 2012.

“We are grateful for the support and positive engagement of the community in Pembrokeshire and the consultees involved in the consenting process.

“Following a successful 12 month technical and environmental test of the device, we will look to develop a precommercial array in 2014. This is the first consented tidal stream project in Welsh

Chris Huhne, Energy and Climate Change Secretary said:

waters and we are honoured to be at the forefront of the tidal energy industry in Wales.”

“The UK's great marine heritage and our engineering genius make the potential for wave and tidal energy here vast. We must make the most of our natural marine resource, not just to cut our emissions, but to boost energy security and create jobs.

The announcement follows the recent publication of the Welsh Marine Renewable Energy Strategic Framework which provides a unique illustrative tool which maps the marine energy environment around the coast of Wales providing an evidence base for use by developers and the wider marine sector.

“I wish Tidal Energy the best of luck with testing their DeltaStream device off Wales.

This is exactly the kind of innovative and exciting project I want to see more of.”

Martin Murphy, Managing Director of Tidal Energy Ltd said:

The findings of the Framework show that even when the various environmental and technological constraints are taken into account, there is still the potential for Welsh waters to produce enough energy to power up to two million homes per year.

“This is tremendous news for Tidal Energy Ltd, for Pembrokeshire and for Wales as a

For more information please visit: http://wales.gov.uk Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Industry News

Professor Stephen Salter awarded Saltire Prize Medal Professor Stephen Salter MBE, a worldleading pioneer of wave power technologies, was tonight (22nd March) awarded the inaugural Saltire Prize Medal in recognition of his key role in the development of marine energy.

Professor Salter, who led the University of Edinburgh team that designed and developed 'Salter's Duck' wave energy converter in the 1970s and today is a specialist adviser to Aquamarine Power, creators of the Oyster device, was presented with the award by First Minister Alex Salmond at the Scottish Renewables annual conference dinner in Glasgow.

The annual award, to be presented under the auspices of Scotland's £10 million Saltire Prize marine energy challenge, has been created to recognise outstanding contributions by individuals and groups to the development of wave or tidal power.

The main Saltire Prize, which has attracted more than 150 registrations of interest from 31 countries, will see £10 million awarded to the team that can demonstrate, in Scottish waters, a commercially-viable wave or tidal stream energy technology that achieves the greatest volume of

Image courtesy of Scottish Renewables

electrical output over the set minimum hurdle of 100GWh over a continuous two-year period using only sea power.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Professor Salter is a thoroughly-deserved recipient of the inaugural Saltire Prize Medal, having done so much over four decades to identify and overcome early challenges to this frontier technology. His role in driving forward continued improvements in wave energy generation is widely recognised across the industry and across the world.

Scotland leads the world in the development of power generation from our seas and oceans and the vision, ambition and drive shown by Professor Salter has played no small part in that achievement. He can be an inspiration to all of us working together to forge a new green future for Scotland and for the benefit of the wider world.”

Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland, who chaired the judging panel, said: “There can be few scientists or engineers as inspiring as Stephen Salter. He has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible and every problem is a new challenge for him. Some 40 years on from developing 'Salter's Duck' he continues to innovate and is

an outstanding recipient of the first Saltire Prize Medal.”

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, added: “It is no exaggeration to say that Professor Stephen Salter is the 'founding father' of Scotland's wave and tidal sector and this award is a fitting civic recognition on behalf of the people of Scotland for his pioneering and visionary work.”

Accepting the Medal, Professor Salter commented: “I feel honoured and delighted at the award of this beautifully designed medal. I now understand the tradition for Oscar winners to say that the credit should go to directors, other actors, camera operators and film crew. In my case it is the number of brilliant young engineers and students who worked with me in the seventies and eighties. It was a happy time for us and, looking back, I am very proud of what we achieved.

Many of our ideas are now being applied to other renewable energy sources.

Our only mistake was doing it too early but that is better than too late.”

For more information please visit: www.scottishrenewables.com

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Industry News

Telephone +44 (0) 1937 580400 Facsimile +44 (0) 1937 580499 www.gisltd.co.uk

Quarter 4 contribution of wind goes up 24% Wind delivers over 10 TWh in 2010, representing 7.7% year-on-year growth.

Growth projections show 3GW+ to be added by 2012.

Latest statistics on UK electricity production, released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that compared to Quarter 4 2009, the contribution of wind to the UK's energy supply in Q4 2010 has increased by 24%.

Significantly, for the first time wind contributed more than 10 terawatt hours (TWh) in a single year, representing growth of 7.7% on 2009.

RenewableUK commented that this is particularly significant in the light of some of the recent media coverage, which suggested that the contribution of wind during the 2010 winter months was negligible.

Alex Murley, RenewableUK's Head of Technical Affairs, said: “The contribution of wind in 2010 to the UK's electricity supply was almost 3 times that of hydro, totalling over 10

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Wind&WaveCONNECT

terawatt hours. This is sufficient electricity for well over 2 million homes.

In terms of Quarter 4 2010 all indicators point to the fact that wind delivered a record contribution of electricity to the grid, both 20% higher than Q3 2010 and 24% higher than the comparable Quarter of 2009.”

RenewableUK's latest estimates show that in addition to the current installed capacity of 5.2 gigawatts (GW), at least 3GW are expected to come on stream by the end of 2012, increasing the annual contribution of wind electricity to around 22 TWh. “The message from the statistics released today is clear: wind is becoming the dominant renewable technology in terms of consistent growth and units delivered to consumers.

Further deployment is set to enhance our energy security and create new low carbon industries,” concluded Murley.

Industry News

Whitelee wind farm presented with prestigious Queen’s award for sustainability

Image courtesy of ScottishPower Renewables

cottishPower Renewables was today (21st April) awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development for Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow.

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The award was approved by Her Majesty The Queen following recommendation from Prime Minister David Cameron.

ScottishPower Renewables received the award on the basis of its commitment to sustainability, which was evidenced throughout the development, construction and on-going operation of Whitelee wind farm. It was also noted that the project was a best practice example of habitat management, and that the commitment to encourage local community involvement had been a strong focus.

As well as being the largest operating onshore wind power project in Europe, capable of powering up to 180,000

homes, the wind farm is home to a hugely popular visitor and learning centre which has attracted more than 125,000 visitors since opening in September 2009. The £2m facility is the first of its kind in the UK, and has allowed people to learn more about sustainable energy as well as acting as a focal point for cyclists, horse riders and ramblers who have taken advantage of the wind farm's 90km of tracks.

Whitelee, from the early days of site selection and construction right up to the team who run the visitor centre, have played a major role in the success of the wind farm. We are all delighted and very honoured to have received the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development. It is recognition of the hard work that has gone in to every aspect of planning, delivering and running Europe's largest wind farm.

Since opening, more than 4,500 school pupils have visited Whitelee to learn about renewable energy from the specially-trained staff in the interactive learning zone. Under the tutorship of Glasgow Science Centre staff, tailored workshops and activities have been designed for children of all ages.

Teachers’ Packs are also made available, so that lessons in renewable energy can continue back in the classroom.

“We are especially delighted with

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower Renewables, said: “Everyone involved with the project at

the huge interest that the public has shown in the wind farm, and are pleased to have hosted thousands of school pupils and given them the opportunity to learn about renewable energy.

Work to extend the wind farm is now underway and it will be capable of powering the equivalent of 300,000 homes, and we hope that it will remain to be seen as a leading example of responsible development and social inclusion for a long time to come.”

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Industry News

Port business leader calls for more 'coordinated' approach to offshore wind revolution Director of a Humber-based port business is urging the government and maritime industry to work more closely together to secure thousands of offshore wind power jobs.

A

Richard Brough OBE, managing director of Jenkins Ports Services Ltd, said there is no one organisation ensuring the UK's ports and maritime industry has a coordinated approach to taking full advantage of the green energy revolution.

It comes as major wind turbine manufacturers look to locate huge manufacturing plants in ports across the country, particularly on the east coast of England - potentially creating about 65,000 jobs by 2020. These assembly bases will supply hi-tech turbines for the world's largest offshore wind farms, planned for the North Sea. However, Mr Brough said there needs to more “cohesion” to ensure areas were ready to meet the skills requirements of the turbine manufacturers and their vast supply chain.

Mr Brough said: “There is a lack of coordination at the moment, which is a potentially serious omission. Lots of ports and regions are doing wonderful things to attract, and prepare for, offshore turbine manufacturers, with several strategic bodies coming together.

“But there needs to be cohesion nationally, so that these pockets of excellence are not in isolation. This is difficult to achieve, because different port locations are competing for business, such as the east of England, North East and the Humber area.

“However, there has be a cross-pollination of best practice to allow us, as an industry, to understand what the exact needs of the offshore wind industry are and how we going to meet these demands in terms of jobs and skills.”

Jenkins Port Services (JPS) Ltd is based on King George Dock in Hull, East Yorkshire, and is part of the Jenkins Shipping Group, which has 30 years' experience in the ports and logistics sector in nine locations across the UK,

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JPS works with companies such as Associated British Ports, P&O Ferries, Titan Cement, PD Ports, DFDS and Port of Sunderland.

Jenkins is well-positioned to work with the offshore wind market, having spent £100,000 on training over the last three years to ensure it has a 140-strong workforce with a wide range of skills, including mobile harbour crane driving.

This means it can provide a skilled labour supply to renewables firms and to those companies who need to “back-fill” positions vacated by employees who choose to take advantage of new jobs created by green energy firms.

And the company's Hull base is close to the Green Port Hull development, where a proposed Siemens wind turbine assembly plant could be built - employing up to 900 people directly.

Mr Brough said: “There's a great buzz around ports at the moment - this is a genuine, good news story for businesses and individuals.

“The proposed Siemens plant in Hull will produce 300 turbines a year and much of the material and components of these will be brought into the port. So, even if you are not going to be working directly with the likes of Siemens, there is going to be an increased amount of trade coming through the ports, leading to a significant multiplier effect for the economy, with more people having more money to spend locally.”

Mr Brough said the demise of regional development agencies such as Yorkshire Forward had placed “greater emphasis” on the need for a new group to bring together all those involved in this emerging offshore industry.

He said: “I believe there has to be partnership, comprising both private enterprise and the public sector, to get a better handle on what is taking place in the offshore wind industry and provide more over-arching coordination.

“We do need a champion for the ports sector in particular. Time is of the essence and, at the moment,

no one body can supply details on the number of jobs and the types of skills and qualifications the offshore industry wants ports and other sectors to provide.

“Siemens will create between 800 and 900 jobs in Hull, but where will the company recruit them from? Obviously, there is huge potential in people with transferable skills in the petrochemical, oil and gas industries, as well as other businesses, young people leaving school or college and of course the unemployed.

“But what we need to be mindful of is when these people leave their current positions, there will be back-filling to be done to replace them. We need to be ready and have the capacity to do this.”

Mr Brough made his call for a more coordinated approach at a recent conference that brought together representatives of the UK's ports and maritime industry, discussing the role the sector will play in offshore wind energy.

Industry News

Aquamarine Power welcomes Western Isles marine energy research project Image courtesy of Aquamarine Power

Aquamarine Power today (22nd March) welcomed a new research project that could help to make the Hebrides one of the most valuable and sought-after marine energy sites in Europe.

T

he Hebridean Marine Energy

Aquamarine Power is to take part

David Green, principal of Lews

Futures project - backed by

in the collaborative research as the

Castle College UHI, said: “This project

£900k in Scottish Funding

lead industry partner.

will take the energy research team

Martin McAdam, Chief Executive

at Lews Castle College UHI from

of Aquamarine Power, said the project

capacity-building to a major role in

offered an excellent opportunity for the

a project of immense value to our

Western Isles to become a real centre of

industrial and university partners.

expertise in wave energy. “This research

We have built the team and the skills

will identify clearly the wave energy

and the partnerships. Hebridean

potential to the west of the Hebrides and

Marine Energy Futures will make a

also highlight some of the medium term

significant contribution to renewable

Council knowledge exchange grants - is a collaborative research programme which will undertake a range of tasks from seabed surveying and wave energy resource assessments to the modelling of the interaction of different devices and their impact on the electrical grid.

The project will be led by Lews Castle College, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, and has the backing of a number of marine energy developers, utilities, the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and the community landlord Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (The Galson Estate Trust), among others.

constraints such as electricity

energy developments of enormous

grid infrastructure,” he said.

benefit for our communities and is

“More than this, however, it will develop

critical to the creation of a vibrant

skills, knowledge and expertise in the

energy industry in the islands.”

Western Isles which can be retained on the islands and will help generate economic opportunities in the future.”

For more information please visit: http://www.aquamarinepower.com

Wind&WaveCONNECT

15

Diary of Events

Diary of Events June European Offshore Wind Energy Health and Safety Conference - 1st - 2nd June

The Global Clean Energy Forum 15th – 16th June

Regents Park Marriott Hotel, London Contact: Will Broad Tel: +44 (0)20 375 7516 Email: will@windenergyupdate.com Website: www.windenergyupdate.com

Hotel Arts Barcelona, Marina 19-21, Barcelona, Spain Contact: Juanine Stroebel Tel: +44 (0)20 7061 3514 Email: jstroebel@iht.com

Renewable Energy World conference and exhibition Europe - 7th - 9th June Fiera Milano, Milan, Italy Contact: Amy Nash, Conference Manager Tel: + 44 (0) 1992 656 621 Email: amyn@Pennwell.com Website: www.renewableenergyworld-europe.com

Offshore Wind Foundation Systems: Challenges and Solutions Envirolink Technical Workshop 14th June The Birchwood Centre, Birchwood Park Tel: +44 (0)1925 813 200 Website: www.envirolink.co.uk

Hilton Glasgow, 1 William Street Website: www.scottishrenewables.com/events/onshorewind-conference-exhibition-2011/

Increasing Renewable Generation - 22nd June Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT Website: www.energyconsortium.org.uk

2nd Official Annual Conference of the European Ocean Energy Association (EU-OEA) - 22nd - 23rd June

ABP Port of Southampton, UK Website: www.seawork.com/whats-on/seawork-conferences

Brussels, Belgium Contact: Natalia Valencia (sponsorship and exhibition) Tel: + 44 (0)20 3384 6214 Contact: Graham Swanson (delegate enquiries) Tel: +44 (0)20 7099 0600

Realisation of the Future Grid 15th – 16th June

Renewable Energy in the Public Sector - 23rd June

London Marriott Hotel Regents Park, 128 King Henry's Road, London, NW3 3ST Website: www.smi-online.co.uk/events

Barbican Conference Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS Contact: Katie Tweats, Tel: 01782 613924 Email: ktweats@publicservice.co.uk

Seawork 2011 International 14th - 16th June

Diary of Events

2011 16

Scottish Renewables Onshore Wind Conference & Exhibition - 16th June

Wind&WaveCONNECT

Diary of Events

June

July

The Energy Summit 2011 - 23rd June

ISESCO/WREN International Seminar in Britain - 3rd - 9th July

The Dorchester, London Website: www.economistconferences.co.uk

Barcelo, Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, 145 Kings Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1NR, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1273 329001 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 820718 Email: asayigh@wrenuk.co.uk or oldship.reservations@barcelo-hotels.co.uk Website: www.wrenuk.co.uk or www.wrecuk.co.uk

Increasing Renewable Generation - 29th June Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ Website: www.energyconsortium.org.uk

100% Renewables - National Migration Strategies to 100% Renewable Electricity - 29th June Dexter House, No.2 Royal Mint Court, Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4QN Contact: Graham Swanson Tel: +44 (0)20 7099 0600 Website: www2.greenpowerconferences.co.uk

Renewable UK Offshore Wind 2011 - 29th - 30th June Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, Monarchs Quay, Liverpool, L3 4FP Website: www.renewable-uk.com/events/offshorewind-conference

Renewable Energy Insurance and Risk Management - 4th July London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)207 099 0600 Email: info@greenpowerconferences.com

Global Wind Power Finance and Investment Congress 2011 - 6th - 7th July London, United Kingdom Website: www.greenpowerconferences.com

13th International Conference on Wind Engineering - 11th - 15th July RAI Conference Center Europaplein 22 Amsterdam, North Holland 1078 GZ NL Website: http://www.icwe13.org

EEEGR Summer Conference 2011 - 13th July Great Yarmouth Racecourse Website: www.eeegr.com/events

Diary of Events

2011 Wind&WaveCONNECT

17

Feature

The Crown Estate: UK's unique approach to seabed ownership and management

by Penny Hitchin

The royal wedding has led to a frenzy of media focus on our royal family. In keeping with the times, Wind&WaveCONNECT looks at another unique manifestation of the monarchy: The Crown Estate. he Crown Estate is a unique organisation responsible for managing one of the largest property portfolios in the UK: the crown property which includes the seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit. As the organisation which awards licenses to develop offshore wind and marine energy farms The Crown Estate has a key role to play in the development of UK renewables.

In Europe, the seabed is owned by the government of the adjacent country. In the UK, The Crown Estate is a strange hybrid organisation that is neither publicly owned nor privately run. Instead, eight Crown Estate Commissioners (CECs), appointed by the Queen, manage The Crown Estate with a remit to “maintain and enhance” the value of the estate.

Acquisition of land by the crown started back to the 11th century with the arrival of the Normans. In the centuries since, land has been both added and disposed of by the reigning monarch. In 1760, a hard-up George III agreed with Parliament on his accession to the throne that net revenues from The Crown Estate would be paid to the Treasury in return for a fixed civil list payment. This arrangement has continued under the reign of successive monarchs, and is in place today. Technically it is not a permanent settlement, but is agreed

includes property valued at over

T

anew by each incoming monarch.

In 1961 Parliament passed The Crown Estate Act establishing The Crown Estate as a statutory corporation to manage the hereditary estates of the Crown on behalf of the nation. Although owned by the monarch, the estate is not the private property of the Queen and cannot be sold by her. It goes with the crown as part of the portfolio of the monarch. This makes it a very quirky and unique arrangement!

18

Wind&WaveCONNECT

The Crown Estates portfolio

£5,000 million. Marine assets include 2,735 kilometres of foreshore, 55 per cent of the beds of tidal rivers and estuaries and the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit Changes to be made in management of Scottish estates?

The Crown Estate's latest Scottish development, announced April 2011, is the lease of the seabed at Kyle Rhea, the strait between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland to Marine Current Turbines (MCT), to develop an 8MW £40m fourturbine tidal energy farm.

Scotland accounts for six per cent of The Crown Estate's income, but with offshore wind and tidal energy burgeoning, this is likely to become more significant, and there is increasing concern north of the border

about the role of The Crown Estate.

Under devolution, power and responsibility has been devolved from Parliament to the Scottish Executive. The property rights administered by The Crown Estate in Scotland are covered by the Scots law of property, while English law covers the rest of the estate. Scottish foreshore and the seabed rights raised £9.1 million in 2009-10, and the net revenues flowed straight to HM Treasury. The Crown Estate is administered by Commissioners who manage Scottish public land but are unaccountable to the Scottish Parliament.

Trouble could be brewing.

A 2010 Parliamentary Select Committee report on The Crown Estate noted frustration in Scotland at a lack of engagement by the CEC, and recommended that the CEC strengthen their management arrangements within Scotland. This year the Scotland Committee of the House of Commons is considering “a number of concerns and issues in relation to the affairs and administration of The Crown Estate in Scotland.”

Nationalists are advocating that the management of The Crown Estate's Scottish portfolio, and revenue from it, be devolved to the Scottish Executive.

It remains to be seen how this might affect the development of offshore wind and marine energy north of the border.

Feature

Offshore Renewable Activity in United Kingdom Waters Image courtesy of The Crown Estate

60°0'0"N

60°0'0"N

´

51°0'0"N

51°0'0"N

54°0'0"N

54°0'0"N

57°0'0"N

57°0'0"N

4°0'0"W

8°0'0"W

4°0'0"W

Offshore Renewable Activity

0°0'0"

Base map

Round 1 Site

Round 1-2 Extension Site

Territorial Waters Limit

Round 2 Site

Scottish Exclusivity Site

UK Continental Shelf Limit

Round 3 Zone

Wave Lease

Europe

Demonstration Site

Tidal Lease

United Kingdom

Wind&WaveCONNECT

19

Feature

Orkney

home to Europe's marine energy test centre

by Penny Hitchin

The pounding waves and racing tides around Orkney provide an ideal test bed to explore the potential for generating electricity from marine energy. Orkney is internationally recognised as possessing some of the best resources in Europe for the research, development and testing of wind, wave and tidal technologies. Orkney's pioneering European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) enables developers to test full-scale grid-connected devices in unrivalled conditions.

It has played a key role in development of the wave and tidal technologies that are heading the race to generate electricity from marine energy as most of the tidal and wave devices entering commercial production have been tested there.

20

Wind&WaveCONNECT

Feature

Images courtesy of EMEC

s well as providing facilities and operational expertise, EMEC collaborates in a range of research projects around different aspects of marine energy. Established in 2003, EMEC has been funded to the tune of £15 million by the Scottish and UK Governments, Scottish Enterprise, the Carbon Trust, the European Union and Orkney Islands Council.

A

assuming suitable weather conditions use a variety of equipment to install their moorings, connect the cable and their generating device. The substation onshore contains main switchgear, backup generator and communication room, controls for supply from each wave device

mainland which receives the full force of

and connection to the National Grid.

The Billia Croo facility has been in operation since 2003. A shallow water berth is currently under construction closer inshore, which will be served by a new undersea cable.

the North Atlantic Ocean. The wave test

The Pelamis “sea snake” device

site receives uninterrupted waves which

became the world's first offshore wave

have travelled across the Atlantic -

energy device to generate electricity for

maximum wave height has been

a National Grid when it was deployed at

measured at 15 metres.

Billia Croo by developers Pelamis Wave

Four test berths are situated 1-2 km

Power. Following deployment of Oyster 1,

offshore half a kilometre apart at a depth

Aquamarine Power is currently trialling

of 50 metres. Each is served by an

its second generation Oyster wave

underwater 11 kV subsea cable which

device at the site.

links into a grid-connected substation.

Seatricity is the latest technology to arrive at Billia Croo for testing.

Billia Croo provides the site for testing wave devices EMEC's wave test site is at Billia Croo, an exposed site on the west of the Orkney

Developers hire a test berth and then -

The Seatricity concept involves a float travelling up and down with the waves, operating a pump to pressurize sea water which is piped ashore. Individual pumps are connected together, and once ashore the pressurized sea water is used to drive a standard hydroelectric turbine to produce electricity. The device has been four years in development and a working prototype has been fully tested in the Atlantic Ocean off Antigua. Seatricity Director Bob Tillotson says: “Results of these tests are very encouraging and we see it as a logical move to progress to the even more challenging conditions that exist at Billia Croo.”

Seatricity plan to manufacture 50 devices to install a 1 MW array. Tillotson said: “We anticipate having the plant operational in the spring of 2012 and we look forward to working with EMEC and other local companies in Orkney to achieve this goal.”

Wind&WaveCONNECT

21

Feature

Images courtesy of EMEC

Eday's Fall of Warness provides

The Atlantis AK1000™ turbine was

to provide facilities for prototype

tidal test site

installed on the seabed at EMEC's tidal

technologies to undergo sea trials in more

EMEC's tidal test site is near the Island of Eday which has existing 33 kV and 11kV grid connections. The test berths are located offshore at the Fall of Warness, where tidal stream flows are measured at up to 3.5 metres per second in spring tides and 1.5 metres per second at neap tides. Seven 11 kV subsea cables extend to the centre of the tidal stream, connecting to Eday's well equipped Caldale Substation. A lay-down area provides options for alternative test power configurations.

test site off the island of Eday last summer

gentle conditions than those at the main

but the experimental composite blades

wave and tidal test sites. The new facilities

failed. After a period of dry static testing

will make it easier for developers to test

new blades are due to be installed in the

their concepts in real conditions without

OpenHydro's seabed turbine became the first tidal device in Britain and Ireland to feed power into the grid when it was deployed at Fall of Warness. The Hammerfest Strøm tidal turbine which will power a £40 million ScottishPower Renewables scheme in the Sound of Islay is currently being tested at EMEC. Atlantis Resources Corporation is spending £3.7 million to support trials of its turbine technology at EMEC. 22

Wind&WaveCONNECT

22.5 metre tall, 1,300-tonne twin-rotor

the need for the big vessels or large plant

turbine sitting in 35 metres of water in its

needed to deploy some of the

test berth at EMEC. With the new blades

commercial-scale machines.

installed on the 18-metre diameter rotors, the AK1000 should generate a power output of 1 MW this summer.

Scotrenewables Tidal Power Ltd is a newcomer to EMEC, deploying its SR250 tidal turbine for the first time this spring.

Chief Technical Officer Mark Hamilton explained: “The SR250 is an intermediate scale device built to undergo a series of sea trials in and around Orkney waters over the next 2 years. We will gradually increase test durations onsite at EMEC as confidence is built in the performance and handling of the device.”

New nursery berths for both tidal and wave machines are being constructed

An area within the north east corner of Scapa Flow has been identified for the new wave berths and intermediate tidal testing 'nursery berths' are being constructed in the gentler waters of Shapinsay Sound.

Orkney's islands are the most northerly community to be connected to the UK National Grid. When full, the EMEC wave and tidal test berths have a combined capacity of 11MW for export. The success of EMEC and other local renewable initiatives in generating electricity from the local resources has led to plans to increase the islands' grid capacity so that Orkney can export energy to the UK mainland.

www.windandwaveconnect.co.uk

Wind&WaveCONNECT Wind&WaveCONNECT

23

Feature

Innovative new

TIDAL ENERGY device undergoing sea trials

by Penny Hitchin

An innovative 'underwater kite' which can generate tidal energy is set to undergo sea tests in the Irish Sea this summer. The device is made up of a turbine, generator and rudder tethered to a fixed point on the sea bed.

It turns tidal stream currents into electrical energy by increasing the relative flow speed entering a turbine and then converting the kinetic energy into electrical power.

24

Wind&WaveCONNECT

Image courtesy of Minesto

Feature

evelopment of the Deep Green tidal energy technology was started in 2003 by Saab. After four years of development work, spin-off company Minesto was formed in 2007 to bring the technology to fruition. Minesto's Chief Technical Officer Ted Rosendahl is optimistic about the prospects for the pioneering technology.

D

He told Wind&WaveCONNECT: “We are installing a 1:10 scale prototype in Northern Ireland which will be operating by September. This will be the first ocean prototype to be installed and we plan to run it for a year to demonstrate the technology.”

The first Deep Green 'kite' will be installed in a shallow sea loch with slow flowing tides where Minesto can test how the device operates in disturbances to the tidal flow and check that the control system is robust enough to operate in different conditions.

Ted says: “The site has high turbulence so it will be challenging. If the device runs there then I am pretty sure it will work everywhere else.” The next site is likely to be on the coast north of Belfast.

Deep Green's kite structure flies in a figure of eight, steered by a rudder, allowing it to effectively accelerate the speed of the water entering the turbine by

up to ten times. This enables additional power to be generated, leading to a step-change reduction in the cost of generating energy from the tide. A key factor is that the technology can operate in slower currents than other tidal energy devices - suitable flow speeds are between 1.2 to 2.2 metres per second.

The device is compact in size and its light weight gives high comparative energy extraction. It operates without a gearbox - a major advantage in terms of maintenance. The developers believe that a Deep Green device tethered in 80m deep water with a current of 1.5 metres per second, will be capable of generating 5 MW. The plan is to have the first array of Deep Green devices installed by 2016, generating 10MW. If the prototype lives up to expectation, the technology could unlock significant tidal resources by enabling development of new areas of low velocity tidal streams around the UK coastline.

Bringing the concept to market will require overcoming both technological and financial obstacles. Last year Minesto raised more than 2 million in new capital from investors in Sweden and the UK for development work. Ted Rosendahl says: “Raising finance is always an issue but we are comfortable that we will succeed if we can show that the prototype is successful.”

Deep Green was one of two devices selected by the Carbon Trust to be fasttracked into their R&D phase of the New Device Concepts strand of the Marine Energy Accelerator project.

Earlier this year Minesto was awarded a grant of up to £350,000 from the Carbon Trust funded by Invest Northern Ireland to deploy the first prototype.

At the time Benj Sykes, Director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust said: “Minesto's Deep Green is a very exciting technology as it could provide a step change reduction in the cost of tidal energy and open up swathes of the UK's coast to generating electricity.” It is estimated that tidal energy has the potential to produce up to 45terrawatt hours of electricity in the UK, of which 40 per cent equivalent to over 5 per cent of the UK's electricity consumption - could come from Deep Green devices installed around our coast.

Minesto has offices in Sweden and Northern Ireland. The company has not yet decided where it will set up its manufacturing base, but Invest Northern Ireland is working hard to encourage Minesto to continue its alliance and establish a production base in Northern Ireland developing the emerging local renewable energy supply chain.

Wind&WaveCONNECT

25

Law

Can the UK Catch the Wave

ith March 2011 seeing the announcement by The Crown Estate on the timetable for offshore wind and tidal energy in Northern Irish waters, it is perhaps a good time to explore the state of play of the marine renewables sector, and the policies and legal framework which may either promote these projects or, if not properly thought through, inhibit the growth of the sector in the UK.

W 26

Wave & Tidal Conference had a new dynamic

technologies are at the moment. It does

about it. It is undoubtedly the case that

not matter which technology provider

this emerging sector has gained a huge

you speak to, funding either has been or

boost since the awards made by The

is a major issue for them. The high capital

Crown Estate in the Pentland Firth and

costs and potentially low early stage returns

Orkney waters which have pulled in large

can make projects appear relatively

scale investors and companies. Installed

unattractive to venture capitalists, whilst

capacity at the end of March 2011 was

private equity and project finance are difficult

3.4MW, a 50% increase on the year before.

to obtain because of the need to prove the

A recent RUK study1 has indicated that over

ability of the, as yet, relatively unproven

the course of the next 4 years approximately

technology to deliver on a large scale.

60MW of marine energy projects are being

It is therefore not surprising that the

planned for deployment.

sector has been calling on Government

Much of the UK Government's concentration on renewables in recent times has centred on offshore wind but we must not let the wave and tidal opportunity pass us by.

There is an opportunity to build a sustainable and long term industry using skills and experience which the UK has already developed via its involvement in other energy industry sectors. The Coalition Government has been quick to try to convince the sector that it is behind it with the announcement of so-called dedicated “Marine Energy Parks” with the first one being focussed in the South West.

consistently to look at the level of support

The marine sector, just like any other

Everyone agrees that the UK has a terrific

fledgling sector, suffers from funding issues

untapped resource to exploit - so how do

(the potentially fatal gap between initial grant

we maximise the opportunity to become

funding and long term funding) during the

a global leader in wave and tidal power?

initial demonstration deployment stage

The recent RenewableUK (RUK)

which is where many of the marine

Wind&WaveCONNECT

1

it provides to these technologies through its renewables incentives and in particular the Renewables Obligation (RO). The principle of “banding” under the Renewables Obligation has been around for some time and with the accelerated review of the Renewables Obligation now due to conclude by Autumn 2011, the wave and tidal sector is lobbying for enhanced support in the form of up to 5 Rewewables Obligation Certificates for initial projects.

The Crown Estate awards in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters boosted the interest in the sector quite dramatically. Further competition for zones is on its way with Northern Ireland zones being the next ones to be tendered. The Crown Estate has a difficult balance to strike. The announcement of the Pentland Firth and Orkney zones

RenewableUK – Wave and Tidal Energy in the UK – State of the Industry Report March 2011

Law

Ross Fairley is a partner and Head of Renewable Energy at Burges Salmon solicitors.

The team advises on all types of renewable energy project including wind (onshore and offshore), wave and tidal, hydro, solar, biomass and innovative waste to electricity technologies.

Ross has been active in marine projects for five years acting for a variety of developers and technology providers.

He has been closely involved in the Pentland Firth bid process and is leading a multidisciplinary team on a very large tidal stream project awarded in that location. He also has substantial experience in offshore wind, covering projects in all Rounds to date, and is currently advising on over 3,500MW of offshore wind projects.

The team works across the supply chain to bring projects to successful fruition. Our expertise has been recognised

by UK awards such as Energy/Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards.

Ross can be contacted on ross.fairley@burges-salmon.com or (0117) 902 6351, or view our experience at www.burges-salmon.com (and under Industry Sectors click on Energy and Utilities).

means that a potential 1600MW will

years go by and as the larger zones are built

be deployed over the course of the next

out, the consenting and grid aspects will

5-10 years. The Crown Estate wants to

change. In some ways the sector can learn

allow the marine sector to flourish and to

lessons from offshore wind and how it

maximise the value from the estate but

tackles the offshore transmission regime.

also needs to be careful on timing of

One hopes that lessons will have been

competitions and procurements so as not

learned and the process streamlined by

to over burden the sector. There will only

the time that the large wave and tidal

be so much appetite on the part of the large

arrays come on-line. A number of the IPC

investors and utilities at any one time.

applications will have progressed through

Without those large investors and utilities the

by the time that wave and tidal projects face

larger zones are unlikely to be constructed

up to their planning application. Although

either on time or at all. Typically and

the IPC itself will be abolished and be part

understandably in The Crown Estate

of the Major Infrastructure Projects Unit,

process, milestone dates on delivery are

how the previous applications have been

placed on developers as part of the signing

handled will be very relevant since the

up to agreements for lease. It is important

process will be similar. We must not forget

for the sector not to overstretch itself and

that in Scotland there is no such thing as

an ongoing dialogue will be needed to

the IPC so in relation to the larger Pentland

ensure that as and when The Crown Estate

Firth and Orkney projects it will be

competitions arise there will be sufficient

consenting under the old section 36

interest from sufficient credible players.

Electricity Act regime. It is safe to say that

Participating in a tender process is time-

the consenting outlook for projects is far

consuming and costly in itself for some of

from certain which never helps.

the smaller and medium sized technology players and therefore there is a need for the presence of the large investors and utilities as part of consortia.

The marine sector has not yet had to grapple with the challenges of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) and the whole offshore transmission regime.

The sector is acutely aware however, that as

Wave and tidal developers also have to look forward to the new Electricity Market Reform (EMR) arrangements (the subject of a previous article), these arrangements could fundamentally alter the way in which projects are incentivised and it is fair to say there is a degree of nervousness out there amongst the sector as to what EMR will eventually produce.

It is clear that the Renewables Obligation is intended to be abolished so where will that leave marine projects? Will they be the poor neighbour of offshore wind and nuclear?

For the marine sector to flourish key investors need to be attracted into the UK. The EMR proposes potential long-term feed-in tariffs for larger scale renewables.

However the Government's recent reversal out of its commitments towards solar in the small scale feed-in tariff is a stark example that support can change and can change very quickly. Greg Barker's recent speech to RUK marine members emphasised that the long term future of the sector is tied up with the new feed-in tariffs under the EMR. On reflection, this was probably not the wisest thing to say knowing that he was about to slash certain small scale feed-in tariff rates effectively crushing a large majority of UK solar renewable energy schemes.

If you would like to register to receive Burges Salmon's free energy or environment law e-bulletins, or would like to suggest any energy-related subjects for future articles, please contact Ross Fairley on:

Direct line - (0117) 902 6351 E-mail - ross.fairley@burgessalmon.com Wind&WaveCONNECT

27

Health & Safety

Recognising the Health and Safety Challenges of

Offshore Wind relating to fall from height from

is manageable, developing a skilled and

2001-2008 in the UK. The good news

experienced workforce is more challenging.

is that these numbers are reducing.

This is a topic that the construction industry

Work at height is a key consideration

has tackled and, with the aid of its industry

for the wind industry - it is an inherent

bodies and the HSE, appears to be

risk of a wind turbine design. The risks

managing.

The answer lies in benchmarking.

are controllable but we need to ensure,

In terms of Environment, Health and Safety

as the construction industry has

Management (EHS), the wind industry

learned, that we provide clear training,

A topic that links all industries is traffic management. Some of the key issues to be dealt with are visibility, minimising movements, verifying work force competence and keeping not only people and vessels apart but vessels themselves apart. Drifting vessels are a concern especially in busy shipping areas.

There are plenty good practices that have been tried and tested by the construction industry and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on vehicle/vessel movement planning and in developing clear communications and instructions. The wind industry should continue to engage with the construction industry to understand how it has managed multilingual, multicultural and multi-contractor sites.

s the wind industry rapidly grows, the challenge ahead is to ensure that we continue to generate safe environments, safe people and safe equipment.

A

28

should look more to other sectors for

equipment and instruction to persons

learning opportunities. Hazard and risk

working in the environment and as an

management is not a new skill or EHS tool

industry to ensure that we do not allow

- it's been in place for centuries. In

ourselves to accept unsafe behaviours.

particular, the wind industry needs to profit

This highlights another area that

from the lessons learned from both

we should look to our colleagues for

the construction and the oil and gas

assistance - contractor assessment.

industry. We face similar challenges,

With the revitalisation of the CDM

just in different risk environments.

regulations in 2007 came updated

Look at the construction industry in the

guidance on the selection of competent

first instance. Work at height has been

contractors. The offshore wind industry

a top cause of fatal accidents in the

faces a huge challenge on contractor

construction industry with over half of the

competence. The industry is forecasting

fatalities and a quarter of major injuries

rapid expansion and whilst training people

Wind&WaveCONNECT

Health & Safety

Things can and do go wrong. When this happens we need to ensure that we have robust emergency plans covering all potential scenarios, such as vessel impact, loss of vessel power, loss of marine stability & position, fire, man overboard, etc. Emergency response has been a key topic for the offshore oil and gas industry for several years. A quick glance at the HSE website highlights some ways in which the oil and gas industry is working together with the HSE and other key stakeholders such as the Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel Association and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to provide information for suppliers, designers, operators and owners to take account of when developing their emergency plans. The offshore wind industry must use this approach to their advantage.

The last area of focus is on personnel access and transfer e.g. getting to and onto the wind turbine. Currently, the wind

industry is looking at helicopter transfer, vessel transfer, walk to work systems but going forward, most likely, we will have a mix of all of these. How can this be effectively managed? During construction and operation of the Arklow offshore wind farm, General Electric (GE) tested different designs of vessel, personal protective equipment for transfer and fall arrest system for attachment when transferring.

The lesson learned is that one fix does not fit all and in a continuously changing environment, we must ensure that we always review new improvement opportunities both in our technology, equipment and procedures. It is by doing this that we ensure we provide a safe environment for our employees to work in.

Since this wind farm, many more have been built and it is fair to say that whilst offshore wind is still classed as an emerging industry there is expertise out there. In particular, there is an abundance of expertise within the oil and gas industry supply chain who

have been responsible for the transfer of personnel to platforms for decades.

We need to engage with the supply chain and in particular, the persons who have been managing the risks associated with the transfer of persons offshore and use their experiences to our advantage.

At GE, we work in a global environment and are always keen to speak with our colleagues within other business divisions as well as customers, the supply chain and industry organisations. We understand that benchmarking plays an important role.

Our advice to others venturing into the offshore wind industry is to use benchmarking appropriately, seek out the expertise that is available. In this emerging offshore wind industry we need to focus not only on regulations but on transferring the best practices that are already out there for us.

Lisa C. Mallon Environment, Health and Safety Manager GE Energy Wind&WaveCONNECT

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Training

Delivering green training opportunities romoting and maintaining Scotland's position as a major global centre for energy innovation will depend on the availability of a trained workforce, according to Rob Orr at Skills Development Scotland.

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To grasp the scale of both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in this sector, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has worked through the Energy Advisory Board to review the future skills and employment demands across this industry.

This work delivered a Skills Investment Plan for the energy sector which sets out the fundamental skills priorities to be addressed to develop the potential of this industry. The plan also identifies the potential for up to 95,000 job opportunities in the sector - with up to 28,000 of those within offshore wind.

SDS recognises the critical requirement to develop industry relevant skills to support the sector and ensure sustained economic growth in Scotland. In line with this, SDS has given a commitment to providing training opportunities across this sector with funding being made available for an additional 500 Modern Apprenticeships (MA) in energy related industries in this financial year.

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Rob Orr at SDS commented: “The energy sector is one of Scotland's key economic drivers, with continued development and investment in oil and gas, and growing demand for renewable energy as technologies emerge to support the Low Carbon economy.

The employment opportunities are vast, with significant numbers of additional jobs estimated to be created between now and 2020.

“Last year saw the launch of the UK's first MA for Wind Turbine Service Technicians, and together with these additional MAs, will help provide the industry with much needed skilled technicians who will be critical in meeting the sector's future requirements.”

The Low Carbon Skills Fund is yet another indicator of investment in Scotland's workforce. The Fund is administered by SDS with the aim of supporting training for those businesses in Scotland that are working to support a low carbon economy.

With monies made available through the European Social Fund, up to 650 training places are available this year to allow employers to up-skill and re-skill employees in low carbon technologies.

Rob added: “The Low Carbon Skills Fund provides businesses with access to sector specific training to help the adoption of

processes around carbon reduction and energy efficiency. By developing a highly skilled, more confident workforce Scotland will be able to maximise the benefits of its natural resources in these vital emerging sectors while contributing to protecting the planet for future generations.”

The fund is open to all private sector, voluntary and community organisations, employing less than 250 staff, to help the adoption of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and/or carbon reduction.

SDS' commitment to supporting organisations to acquire low carbon technology skills and to supporting training in renewable energy generation, are key to its strategy of supporting Scotland's ambitious future as a global player in meeting future energy needs.

Training

Case study VG Energy Ltd With the renewable energy industry rapidly developing, training is vital to ensure energy companies stay at the forefront of the sector.

Managers at VG Energy Ltd recognised this and, with the help of the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF), they were able to train a key member of staff for the benefit of the workforce.

The LCSF is open to all private sector, voluntary and community organisations and SMEs whose current or intended business activity is in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and/or carbon reduction.

VG Energy Ltd met this criteria and the company's EIA and Planning Manager, Paul Neary, signed up a member of his staff to industry training in ArcGIS (geographic information system) to assist in modelling and mapping.

Employers like VG Energy Ltd, can up-skill and re-skill their employees in low carbon technologies, with up to 50 per cent of the training cost being met by Skills Development Scotland and the European Social Fund.

Michael McGhee, Environmental Civil Engineer at the Ayrshire company, completed his training over the course of two days and his new skills are already being put to use.

Paul Neary said: “In the past few months VG Energy Ltd has been working towards larger scale projects to ensure it meets clients' needs. To help us in achieving this it is important that our workforce is as qualified as can be.

“The training not only allowed Michael to expand his existing knowledge base, but it enabled him to become more efficient and aware of new resources available to him. He is also better placed to identify potential constraints and this is of great benefit to our company and clients.”

Paul continued: “The Low Carbon Skills Fund has definitely contributed to a worthwhile investment for the company. It is something that we will continue to promote to our staff as we are committed to their professional development, and it is something I would recommend to other organisations.”

Michael McGhee was also delighted with the benefits of attending the course and is also keen to point out that such training is essential to the continued growth of the renewable energy industry in Scotland.

Michael explained: “As the renewable energy industry is a relatively new sector, it is constantly changing. That means that the workforce must continue to learn and further develop skills in this area to keep on top of any advances in the industry.

“I recognised that the ArcGIS course would improve my skills in that area and immediately contacted SDS to discuss it further.

The process was really straight forward and it is great that the fund helped me in developing my skills through training.

“The Low Carbon Skills Fund makes it easier for people working in renewable energy to attend training and ensure they develop alongside the rapid growth of the industry.”

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