UK could handle 150GW of offshore wind in 2050
Offshore wind seen as workhorse of UK system, but integration requires policy and market reforms, thinktank says
The UK’s energy system could handle a massive build-out of offshore wind beyond the government’s target of 40GW by 2030, with the integration of up to 150GW potentially manageable by 2050, according to modelling by independent thinktank Energy Systems Catapult (ESC). ESC modelling, which was commissioned by the Offshore Wind Industry Council, shows at least 50-70GW of offshore wind deployed in almost all scenarios to 2050, underlining its role as the “workhorse” of a future UK energy system. But deployment of offshore wind at this scale, and the storage and flexibility solutions needed to integrate it, would require a “coordinated evolution of policy, regulatory and market frameworks”, says
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