This investment is expected to allow the Crown Estate to gain first hand knowledge of the challenges faced in the development of wind turbines specialized for deepwater marine deployment, in a bid to engage industry in the development of the next phase of offshore wind farms.
The Crown Estate noted that if the industry is to reach the delivery target of a total capacity of up to 33GW by 2020, this kind of support and research will be invaluable.
The marine interests of the Crown Estate include almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 55% of the UK’s coastal foreshore. In addition, the Crown Estate has the rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the renewable energy zone, which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles.
Rob Hastings, director of the marine estates at the Crown Estate, said: It is widely recognized that offshore wind energy will provide the majority of the required contribution needed to ensure that the UK meets its demanding renewable energy target to supply 15% of our consumed energy from renewable sources by 2020.
