TY - RPRT
TI - Accelerating Offshore Wind – The Role of Innovative Technology in Decision Making and Faster Consenting
AU - ORE Catapult
AB - One of the major challenges facing the offshore renewable energy sector is the speed and extent of deployment needed to meet Net Zero targets, which include deploying 50 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.  Projects need to undergo pre-development planning, consenting applications and construction which takes several years. The deployment of offshore wind at very high levels could potentially result in a change to the ecosystem and therefore consideration of the environmental impacts is essential. Using autonomous technologies for environmental monitoring could help address the knowledge gaps associated with these impacts. Despite over two decades of experience in constructing offshore wind farms in the UK there is still a scarcity of robust data upon which to predict the effects on certain receptors, such as marine mammals, fish and birds. Uncertainties regarding the prediction of ecological effects mean that UK regulators often take a precautionary approach to consenting new developments.  This report provides an overview of the current consenting process for offshore wind in the UK and explores if and where the potential exists for smart technology to streamline the data gathering, analysis and decision-making process to accelerate consenting.  The report concludes that innovative technologies have the potential to reduce overall consenting timelines from an average of five years to three years, resulting in potential time and cost reductions whilst dramatically increasing data confidence.  We propose a number of recommendations that will support the aims of the UK Government’s Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package to reduce the time to get planning consent from four years to one year while continuing to protect the marine environment: 1) There is a need to showcase the capabilities, speed, and accuracy of innovative technologies and their potential to create a step change in the way we gather and process marine ecological data.    2) ORE Catapult, technology and service providers work with statutory bodies, policy-makers, and environmental stakeholders to ensure new technologies can be confidently incorporated into environmental impact assessments and future monitoring plans. 3) Explore the potential for a large-scale data acquisition trial involving a) the review of existing data in new ways and b) the use of new, high-autonomy technologies to help proactively develop this important area for floating wind. 4) Explore the potential for industry to work collaboratively on joint data acquisition projects in key future development areas.    
DA - 2023/07//
PY - 2023
PB - ORE Catapult
UR - https://ore.catapult.org.uk/?orecatapultreports=accelerating-offshore-wind-the-role-of-innovative-technology-in-decision-making-and-faster-consenting
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Collision
KW - Noise
KW - Human Dimensions
ER -