Road map to advance wind power pushed

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the United Nations are pushing for the advancement of offshore wind power with a road map intended to clear obstacles for such projects.

According to the World Bank, the Philippines has the opportunity to host 178,000 megawatts of offshore wind power projects

In a joint statement, GWEC and the UN said the road map for offshore renewable energy—launched earlier this month through the UN Global Compact—uses a “climate-smart approach” to ocean management, and taps industry players as well as the marine planning community.

They said that in order to limit global warming to a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase in line with the Paris Agreement targets, a significant increase in renewable energy generation will be necessary, including offshore resources.

Promising energy source

The partners noted that offshore wind was one of the most promising clean energy sources. However, this market segment faces challenges as potential project sites are situated in increasingly busy ocean and coastal zones which, in turn, are suffering ecosystem and biodiversity pressures. In terms of marine spatial planning (MSP), a climate-smart approach prioritizes space for climate-mitigation solutions like offshore renewable energy, as well as nature-based mitigation and adaptation solutions, such as marine protected areas.

“It is essential that mitigation measures like offshore wind do not, in turn, damage biodiversity,” said UN Global Compact special advisor Sturla Henriksen.

“A climate-smart MSP can give planners the framework to scale up climate action while respecting marine habitats, providing ripple effects to local communities, leave room for climate innovation and future-proof our planet’s largest ecosystem,” Henriksen said.

Achieving scale

GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said that offshore wind energy will be vital to achieving large scale, reliable and affordable renewable energy in all regions of the world.

According to the World Bank, the Philippines has the opportunity to host 178,000 MW of offshore wind power projects at a time when investments in this industry promises to buffet efforts to kickstart economic recovery.

The technical potential for offshore wind projects in the country is pegged at 18,000 MW of fixed installation and 160,000 MW of floating facilities.Fixed facilities are appropriate at water depths of less than 50 meters while floating ones may be used on waters less than a kilometer deep.