Development status of global marine wind energy and contribution to the future development in Spain

Abstract

Everybody agrees that fossil fuel energies are not sustainable and renewable energies should be introduced (eolic, solar, biomass, etc) in the electricity mix; however, there is sometimes reticence to have these installations in the own territory. To reach future sustainable growth goals like Europe to be climate neutral in 2050 the energy provided by the forces that take place in the sea called “blue energy” will be a key technology. Offshore wind energy is one of these energies, the ongoing increasing size of wind turbines decreases its costs of production and maintenance taking advantage of the scale economy. Marine wind turbines solve this space problem and have the advantage that the absence of obstacles in the sea provide more favorable conditions. This energy is rapidly growing and maturing in some parts of the world starting to play an important role in the energy system of some countries like the UK, China, Germany or Denmark. Even is expected that offshore wind power could reach onshore wind power in the next few years in terms of new aerogenerators installed. Although Europe currently has the largest floating wind energy capacity in the world, in some countries the deployment of this type of renewable energy has not started yet. Spain has great wind potential to produce clean energy that is not currently being exploited due to some economic and technological limitations. These limitations are beginning to be overcome with the evolution of technology, so the exploitation of the wind resource in the sea begins to be a viable option. In this context, the aim of this work is to conduct a study of the global development of offshore wind energy, review the state of the art of marine wind turbines and analyze the case of development in Spain, its limitations and future steps to follow. Based on the analyzed information, conclusions have been drawn that contribute to the expansion of this energy in Spain.