Offshore wind prospects hit by grid costs

Grid operators would love the additional costs, because their rates are generally regulated to provide a set percentage return on equity.

Higher cost transmission builds = higher profits.

Offshore wind prospects hit by grid costs | Renewable energy:

Never mind the cash needed to build wind turbines out at sea, new British data shows that merely connecting them to the grid costs more per megawatt than building new gas fired power plants.

This raises serious questions about the near-term economic viability of the low-carbon technology in which Germany and Britain, among others, are setting such store.

Problems have also emerged in Germany over who foots the bill for grid connection delays, while there are additional concerns about the cost of the wind turbines themselves, their installation and servicing.

Offshore wind may be entering a critical phase, where countries can choose either to ramp up ever larger projects further offshore - to seek better winds and economies of scale - or else drop the technology as uncompetitive.

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