Offshore wind turbines are the sails in Europe’s energy transition ambitions. The European Commission has plans for the continent to increase its current level of capacity from 12GW to at least 60GW by 2030 and to 300GW by 2050, while the UK is targeting 40GW by 2030.
The resource is proven turbine technology, which, apart from the floating kind, is mature, costs are competitive, and as the UK’s recent offshore wind leasing round shows, major players are clamouring to invest. Yet, the wider picture of achieving these targets is more complex.
Studies have determined that when offshore wind power assets are built at the scale planned, single, point-to-point connections from wind farms to the onshore grid using traditional high-voltage three-phase alternating current (HVAC) technology, as is currently standard, will be inefficient, more expensive, and potentially less environmentally friendly.
Instead, experts say a multi-country-connected offshore meshed...