Future for offshore wind energy in the United Kingdom: The way forward

The majority of our energy demand is satisfied by the combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas. This has resulted in our fossil fuel resources being vastly reduced and has increased the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere which is causing global warming. The 2020 European Union (EU) targets have been set out to promote the use of renewable technologies and reduce the electricity demand. From the reviewed literature, it was acknowledged that most of these renewable forms of energy sources were initially capital intensive to construct but once constructed they had low operating costs, paying themselves of over their lifecycle. In this study, primary research was undertaken by means of a case study and structured interviews. The case study formed a background to the UK's current and planned offshore wind installations. The results of the interviews were analysed using the NVIVO qualitative software analysis package. This identified themes within the data which allowed them to be analysed and evaluated. The primary data results concluded that the EU targets were challenging but achievable and that the UK government was very supportive in pushing for these targets. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.