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Dogger Bank D wind farm scoping report proposals submitted

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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SSE and Equinor, co-developers of the proposed Dogger Bank D fourth phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, have submitted a Scoping Report for the project to The Planning Inspectorate.

This follows publication in March 2024 by National Grid ESO of the Transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan (tCSNP2) which included confirmation that Dogger Bank D will connect into Birkhill Wood, a proposed new 400kV substation located in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Developed as a 50/50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, Dogger Bank D would, if consented and approved for delivery, have an installed capacity of up to 2GW and be located in the North Sea around 210km off the northeast coast at its closest point to shore. Project development has been made possible by the opportunity to maximise the capacity from the eastern part of the current Dogger Bank C site. Dogger Bank D is working closely with The Crown Estate, who manage the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland to agree the progression of Dogger Bank D.

The existing 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted development consent in 2015 and is currently under construction in the North Sea across three build-out phases, Dogger Bank A, B and C. Once complete, Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm in operation.
The proposed fourth phase of the wind farm, Dogger Bank D, has been designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) of more than 100MW of generating capacity. As a result, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for the project to be able to submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

The purpose of the Scoping Report is to request a formal EIA Scoping Opinion from the Planning Inspectorate which would outline the topics to be assessed in the EIA.

Rob Cussons, Project Director for Dogger Bank D at SSE Renewables, said: “The Scoping Report is an important milestone for Dogger Bank D and is a key part of the development of an offshore wind farm. The report lays out the scope of the project proposals and identifies key environmental factors. We look forward to receiving a Scoping Opinion from the Planning Inspectorate and input from consultees which will help inform our development proposals.”

A further round of public consultation on the proposals for Dogger Bank D will take place in Autumn 2024.

RENEWABLES MONTH: Sourcing Sustainability – Top tips for choosing trusted providers in the UK

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The UK’s transition to a greener future presents both public and private sector energy management professionals with a new challenge: sourcing reliable and trusted renewable energy solutions providers. With a multitude of options available, navigating the market and selecting a reputable partner can feel overwhelming. However, by following these top tips from Energy Management Summit attendees, you can confidently choose a provider that meets your specific needs and helps your organisation achieve its sustainability goals…

1. Define Your Requirements:

Begin by clearly outlining your organisation’s energy consumption profile and sustainability aspirations. Factors to consider include desired energy source (e.g., solar, wind, biomass), target electricity or heating needs, budget limitations, and preferred project scale (on-site generation, power purchase agreements). Understanding your specific needs facilitates a focused search and helps eliminate providers who don’t offer compatible solutions.

2. Seek Industry Accreditation:

Prioritise providers that hold relevant industry accreditations, demonstrating their commitment to quality and adherence to best practices. Look for memberships in organisations like theRenewable Energy Association (REA), the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), and the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA).

3. Evaluate Track Record and Expertise:

Research the provider’s experience in delivering similar renewable energy projects in the UK. Look for a proven track record of successful installations, a team with qualified and experienced personnel, and a strong understanding of the specific regulatory environment in the UK.

4. Prioritise Financial Stability:

Renewable energy projects often involve significant upfront investments. Choose a provider with a demonstrably stable financial background to mitigate potential risks associated with project completion and ongoing maintenance. Request financial statements and inquire about project financing options.

5. Look Beyond Cost:

While cost-effectiveness is important, consider the long-term value proposition. Evaluate the provider’s after-sales support, maintenance capabilities, and warranty offerings. Opting for a slightly higher initial cost may be justified by longer-term benefits, such as extended equipment lifespan and ongoing technical support.

6. Request References and Case Studies:

Seek references from previous clients within your sector or with similar project requirements. This provides valuable insights into the provider’s communication style, project execution capabilities, and post-installation support. Additionally, requesting case studies allows you to assess the provider’s approach to specific challenges and project outcomes.

7. Ensure Transparency and Clear Communication:

Open communication throughout the project lifecycle is paramount. Choose a provider that prioritises clear communication, providing regular updates on project progress, addressing concerns promptly, and proactively informing you of any potential challenges.

8. Consider Contractual Considerations:

Be meticulous in reviewing contracts and establishing clear expectations. Ensure the contract outlines key aspects such as project scope, warranties, performance guarantees, payment terms, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Seek legal counsel if needed to ensure the contract effectively protects your organisation’s interests.

By following these top tips, energy management professionals in the public and private sectors can navigate the renewable energy provider landscape with confidence. Choosing a trustworthy partner will play a crucial role in achieving your organisation’s sustainability goals and contributing to a greener future for the UK.

Are you searching for Renewable Energy solutions for your organisation? The Energy Management Summit can help!

Photo by Anders J on Unsplash

If you specialise in Renewable Energy we want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in February we’ll be focussing on Renewable Energy.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Renewable Energy and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Danielle James on 01992 374085 / d.james@forumevents.co.uk. 

Our features list in full:

Feb 24 – Renewable Energy
Mar 24 – Carbon Management
Apr 24 – Metering & Monitoring
May 24 – Water Management/Strategy
Jun 24 – Energy Storage
Jul 24 – Data Collection & Management
Aug 24 – Waste Management
Sept 24 – Solar PV
Oct 24 – Lighting
Nov 24 – Heating & Ventilation
Dec 24 – Onsite Renewables
Jan 24 – Energy Management Systems

EU Hydrogen Bank could bring renewable hydrogen costs below 1 euro/kg

 960 640 Guest Post
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By Jake Stones, ICIS

ICIS data shows that renewable hydrogen could be sold for below €1/kg if a producer obtains the maximum support provided by the European Hydrogen Bank, according to the heads of terms for the bank published by the European Commission on 31 March.

The bank, which was announced in September 2022, aims to support hydrogen producers using an auction bidding system, which ranks bidders according to price per kilo of hydrogen.

Utilising the Innovation Fund, the commission will allocate €800m for the first auction for support from the bank, with subsidies capped at €4/kg of hydrogen. The hydrogen has to be aligned with the delegated act for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), also known as renewable hydrogen, and projects must reach full capacity within three-and-a-half years of being awarded funding. Funding is granted once hydrogen production starts.

Successful bidders will then be granted a fixed sum according to the volume bid, over the course of ten years. Bidders cannot win more than 33% of the available budget, and must have a project size of at least 5MW.

€1/KG HYDROGEN

ICIS assessment data from 4 April shows that renewable hydrogen produced using a 10-year renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) starting in 2026 in the Netherlands would cost €4.58/kg on a project breakeven basis. For 10-year PPA renewable hydrogen, ICIS accounts for the recovery of the capital investment for the electrolyser over the duration of the PPA, meaning by the end of the subsidised period, costs would be recovered.

Given a hydrogen producer could receive the full subsidy of €4/kg, this would mean just €0.58/kg of hydrogen would be needed to achieve capital cost recovery, meaning the producer would need to charge buyers less than €1/kg to ensure project breakeven.

Comparatively, renewable hydrogen production in Germany commencing in 2026 and utilising offshore was assessed at €5.96/kg on 4 April, meaning post-subsidy hydrogen would be just under €2/kg.

However, given the competitive nature of the bid, namely that ordering is a result of lowest-bid first, there is potential that the full subsidy will not be awarded.

Further, the auction limit depends on volume and bid amount, meaning once the €800m is allocated, there will be no further subsidy for this round.

ICIS data shows that European hydrogen demand by 2030 is forecast to reach 10.3 million tonnes (mt) by 2030. If full subsidy was distributed to all bidders, it would cover just 200,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen, just under 2% of projected demand by the end of the decade.

The commission is aiming to hold further auctions however, meaning that the €800m is an initial starting point, not the limit, for the European Hydrogen Bank.

MARKET DEVELOPMENT

Alongside the development of hydrogen support and therefore expansion of hydrogen supply, the bank mechanism indicated the benefit of the auction system for driving competition. By awarding hydrogen to the lowest bidder, and by maintaining an auction limit of €800m, participants are encouraged to reduce costs of production where possible.

The heads of terms document for the European Hydrogen Bank notes that a fixed premium, namely a single subsidy figure provided over the course of 10 years for every unit of hydrogen produced, was opted for due to the absence of price transparency in the current hydrogen market.

By utilising a fixed premium, there is no need for a market reference price, the document outlined.

During the pilot for the European Hydrogen Bank, just renewable hydrogen is being targeted. However, low-carbon hydrogen could be included in future iterations.

On the basis of price discovery, the heads of terms noted that the auction type was referring to as “static”, meaning bidders bid a single price that is not changed. The alternative was 

noted as “dynamic” whereby bidders could receive some information on the activity of other auction participants, providing a component of price discovery.

The first auction will be held in autumn of 2023.

Do you specialise in Renewable Energy? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in February we’ll be focussing on Renewable Energy.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Renewable Energy and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Mark Davis on 01992 374064 / m.davis@forumevents.co.uk. 

Our features list in full:

Feb – Renewable Energy
Mar – Carbon Managemen
Apr – Metering & Monitoring
May – Water Management/Strategy
Jun – Energy Storage
Jul – Data Collection & Management
Aug – Waste Management
Sept – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov – Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Onsite Renewables
Jan 24 – Energy Management Systems

UK vs EU Energy Security Policy: What you need to know

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

By David Kipling, CEO – On-Site Energy

In April 2022 the UK published its Energy Security Strategy. The key aim of the strategy is for the UK to achieve long-term independence from foreign energy sources and decarbonise the nation’s power supply. The main initiatives of the strategy are investment in nuclear generation and offshore wind, the latter being the source of hydrogen generation.

Contrasting this to EU energy security strategy (which is far more dependent on Russian gas) the EU highlights rapid action to embrace energy savings, diversification of energy supplies, and accelerated roll-out of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels in homes, industry and power generation.

UK plans are all long-term measures – it takes 10+ years to develop nuclear and offshore wind UK sees oil and gas as an important transition fuel and has set out plans to increase activity in the UK North Sea. In the meantime, CO2 reductions will be incremental at best.

EU has to act rapidly. A strong focus is on supporting energy efficiency and local renewables, which are much faster to implement.  This is also the fastest way to reduce costs and address current energy costs.

If you think about this in the context of our energy hungry industry, I think the right conclusion would be to follow the EU direction rather than wait for the long term measures. There is nothing lost by reducing consumption and using low-carbon generation to control and reduce costs.

If you would like to discuss how to be more energy efficient and use low-carbon energy generation, please contact David Kipling, CEO – On-Site Energy on 0151 271 0037 or email david@on-site.energy (www.on-site.energy).

Do you specialise in Carbon Management? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in March we’ll be focussing on Carbon Management.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Carbon Management solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 / l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

Our features list in full:

Mar – Carbon Management
Apr – Metering & Monitoring
May – Water Management/Strategy
Jun – Energy Storage
Jul – Data Collection & Management
Aug – Waste Management
Sept – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov – Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Onsite Renewables

Do you specialise in Renewable Energy? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Energy Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the market – and in February we’ll be focussing on Renewable Energy.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help energy management buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Renewable Energy solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 / l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

Our features list in full:

Feb – Renewable Energy
Mar – Carbon Managemen
Apr – Metering & Monitoring
May – Water Management/Strategy
Jun – Energy Storage
Jul – Data Collection & Management
Aug – Waste Management
Sept – Solar PV
Oct – Lighting
Nov – Heating & Ventilation
Dec – Onsite Renewables

COP26: Calls to accelerate renewable energy job creation

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

More than 130 renewable energy leaders, under the auspices of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Coalition for Action, have launched a Call to Action for COP26, encouraging all governments at national, regional, and local levels to ensure access to high-quality, sustainable jobs during the energy transition.

Limiting the earth’s temperature rise to 1.5oC by 2050 requires a full decarbonisation of the energy sector. As such, the clean energy transition must progress rapidly. But to build a climate-resilient future, the energy transition must advance in a just and inclusive manner, leaving nobody behind.

As countries convene in Glasgow to re-align strategies and renew ambitions at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), there is an opportunity to increase momentum of the global energy transition – and a transition grounded in renewable energy has been proven to generate widespread socio-economic benefits, including jobs.

“Leaving fossil fuels behind, we need to make sure that everybody can participate in a low-carbon economy. Policies are needed to make the best use of renewable energy players’ insights and best practices in driving a renewable energy market and creating adequate and equal opportunities for all,” says IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera.

The Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2021 report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds that the renewable energy sector offered employment to 12 million people in 2020 – a steady increase since 2012 at 7.3 million. Renewable energy jobs are also more inclusive, showing better gender balance with 32 per cent women employed in the sector, compared to 22 per cent in the fossil fuels sector. These records provide a very promising insight into a clean energy future.

With the clock ticking, members of Coalition for Action urge governments to consider the following five recommended actions in their decision-making to accelerate a just and inclusive energy transition, at COP26 this week:

  • Comprehensive structural and just transition policies are critical to secure the benefits and manage labour market misalignments that result from the energy transition.
  • Concrete and resilient finance mechanisms are required for countries to equitably transition away from fossil fuels.
  • Job and enterprise creation in the renewable energy sector must be complemented with labour and socio-economic policies in the energy sector.
  • Long-term partnerships between industry, labour unions and governments are essential to ensure job security and social protection, especially in areas particularly impacted by the energy transition (e.g., coal mining regions).
  • Data-driven actions and solutions are needed to support targeted policies that encourage job creation, capacity building and reskilling to empower those disproportionately impacted, such as women, youth and minorities.

See a more detailed view of the IRENA Coalition for Action’s Call to Action for COP26.

Renewable energy employing 12 million globally

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Renewable energy employment worldwide reached 12 million last year, up from 11.5 million in 2019, according to the eighth edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2021.

The report was released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) at a high-level opening of IRENA’s Collaborative Framework on Just and Inclusive Transitions, co-facilitated by the United States and South Africa.

The report confirms that COVID-19 caused delays and supply chain disruptions, with impacts on jobs varying by country and end use, and among segments of the value chain. While solar and wind jobs continued leading global employment growth in the renewable energy sector, accounting for a total of  4 million and 1.25 million jobs respectively, liquid biofuels employment decreased as demand for transport fuels fell. Off-grid solar lighting sales suffered, but companies were able to limit job losses.

China commanded a 39% share of renewable energy jobs worldwide in 2020, followed by Brazil, India, the United States, and members of the European Union. Many other countries are also creating jobs in renewables. Among them are Viet Nam and Malaysia, key solar PV exporters; Indonesia and Colombia, with large agricultural supply chains for biofuels; and Mexico and the Russian Federation, where wind power is growing. In Sub-Saharan Africa, solar jobs are expanding in diverse countries like Nigeria, Togo, and South Africa.

“Renewable energy’s ability to create jobs and meet climate goals is beyond doubt. With COP26 in front of us, governments must raise their ambition to reach net zero,” says Francesco La Camera, IRENA Director-General. “The only path forward is to increase investments in a just and inclusive transition, reaping the full socioeconomic benefits along the way.”

“The potential for renewable energy to generate decent work is a clear indication that we do not have to choose between environmental sustainability on the one hand, and employment creation on the other. The two can go hand-in-hand,” said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder.

Recognising that women suffered more from the pandemic because they tend to work in sectors more vulnerable to economic shocks, the report highlights the importance of a just transition and decent jobs for all, ensuring that jobs pay a living wage, workplaces are safe, and rights at work are respected. A just transition requires a workforce that is diverse – with equal chances for women and men, and with career paths open to youth, minorities, and marginalised groups. International Labour Standards and collective bargaining arrangements are crucial in this context.

Fulfilling the renewable energy jobs potential will depend on ambitious policies to drive the energy transition in coming decades. In addition to deployment, enabling, and integrating policies for the sector itself, there is a need to overcome structural barriers in the wider economy and minimise potential misalignments between job losses and gains during the transition.

Indeed, IRENA and ILO’s work finds that more jobs will be gained by the energy transition than lost. An ILO global sustainability scenario to 2030 estimates that the 24-25 million new jobs will far surpass losses of between six and seven million jobs. Some five million of the workers who lose their jobs will be able to find new jobs in the same occupation in another industry. IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook forecasts that the renewable energy sector could employ 43 million by 2050.

The disruption to cross-border supplies caused by COVID-19 restrictions has highlighted the important role of domestic value chains. Strengthening them will facilitate local job creation and income generation, by leveraging existing and new economic activities. IRENA’s work on leveraging local supply chains offers insights into the types of jobs needed to support the transition by technology, segment of the value chain, educational and occupational requirements.

This will require industrial policies to form viable supply chains; education and training strategies to create a skilled workforce; active labour market measures to provide adequate employment services; retraining and recertification together with social protection to assist workers and communities dependent on fossil fuels; and public investment strategies to support regional economic development and diversification.

Read the full report here.

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