Open access paper and interactive map to inform on finding space for offshore wind to support net zero
A recent study by Southampton researchers exploring where future offshore windfarms could best be located has been published open access in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews “Finding space for offshore wind to support net zero: A methodology to assess spatial constraints and future scenarios, illustrated by a UK case study” by Hugo Putuhena, David White, Susan Gourvenec and Fraser Sturt.
The paper presents a spatial analysis approach for assessing the location of future offshore wind that collates and integrates, metocean, geoscience, ecological and anthropogenic features and intersects with engineering requirements. A new contribution to the field is made through calibration in relation to current ocean ‘crowdedness’, which leads to a suitability ranking of new sea regions. A case study is presented to illustrate the workflow and methodology of this approach based on the United Kingdom (UK)-Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ). The UK is an ideal exemplar due to its well-developed offshore wind sector, having the greatest installed offshore wind capacity globally until the close of 2021, and as a region with ambitious and legislated offshore wind targets to meet net zero. The modelling and analysis quantify the need to eliminate the water depth barrier through floating OW technology, open up new sea regions and the associated port and grid infrastructure, as well as to assess the potential impact of increased utilisation of ocean space for OW.
Interactive dashboards of geospatial data and analysis can be freely accessed at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/3c485282571142f28de577b957a0b348
Cite this paper:
Putuhena, H., White, D., Gourvenec, S. and Sturt, F (2023) Finding space for offshore wind to achieve Net Zero: Spatial constraints in UK waters. accepted Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 182, 113358, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113358