What Does The Future of Offshore Wind Look Like?

For many years, the UK has been largely reliant on often imported fossil fuels. Now, under growing pressure from climate change and with a 2050 net zero carbon emissions target to meet, the United Kingdom is making increasing strides to secure its wind energy production.

Impressive advancements away from fossil fuel reliance have already been made. Countries globally are looking into and investing in clean energy alternatives. In the UK, this investment has primarily been in wind energy, thanks to the region's famously wet and windy weather. 

Growing investments into wind energy are already beginning to benefit the wider UK economy. More wind turbine farms mean more construction, repair services, and jobs throughout the supply chain. As a result, we are already seeing a sharp uptake in training opportunities for wind turbine blade careers. 

Skilled workers are essential if the UK is to keep turbines running and generating energy. Firms like Altitec, a world leader in wind turbine repairs, offer top-tier training opportunities. Those hoping to enter the field can even earn the chance to work repairing turbines with Altitec specialists if they successfully complete the course.

As more wind turbines are built and current turbines age, it is likely that the demand for workers in blade careers and adjacent roles will increase significantly.

Wind energy is responsible for providing almost 25% of UK electricity. It overtook nuclear and coal in 2018 and 2016, respectively. Today it is the second most significant source of electricity, with only natural gas rising above it and supplying an estimated 35% of UK electricity.

When wind energy began taking root in the UK, most wind turbines being built were onshore. Gradually, more turbines began being built offshore, particularly as technology advanced, making it possible to create more significant, more durable, and thus better able to survive the more extreme weather conditions found in offshore locations. Today, of the 11,500 wind turbines in the UK, 8,827 are onshore, and 2,604 stand in offshore locations.

Offshore wind farms are expected to be the focus of wind energy production from now on. Some industry experts speculate that the future of offshore wind farms will be floating wind turbines as opposed to the currently favoured fixed-bottom wind turbines.  

Overall, there's no sign of wind energy production falling in the coming years. The government aims to generate enough wind energy through offshore wind turbines to power every home in the UK by 2030.  

The future of wind energy is growing. More turbines are being built, and more effort is being concerted to keep older wind turbines running for longer. This creates more jobs directly related to wind turbine blade careers and indirectly in the supply chain. Furthermore, as the industry becomes more established, wind energy prices lower, resulting in cheaper electricity for people in the UK and generally leading to more positive feelings towards wind turbines and wind energy.