The UK is racing ahead with its offshore wind ambitions, capitalising on a position as a world leader in offshore technology and innovation. A nation with a proud maritime heritage, taking advantage of its engineering knowledge to help support ever increasing energy demands, initially with oil and gas and now with the addition of offshore wind. A country with a vision of ‘Fuel Britannia’, the island nation continues to look to the surrounding seas. So, can we take the next logical step, to combine the development of these resources to take the energy transition forward and present a much stronger force, working together towards a common goal?
Approaching the energy transition with a focus on the national interest is essential to meet the energy needs of today and the future in a sustainable way. Recent improvements in renewable energy generation should not disguise the issue that we will not switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources overnight. Plus, it is likely that fossil fuels will still play a part in our world beyond 2050. The use of oil and gas isn’t purely for electricity generation, our world needs the products of the oil and gas industry for now. The renewable technologies we are developing are being designed and constructed with products from the oil and gas industry. The large-scale use of renewables is long overdue, but we must remember that this is an evolution not a revolution. Success will not come through one industry conquering another; it will come through working together to the benefit of all.
It is evolution that will take us to net zero. Realistically, oil and gas production will be required beyond 2050, so we need to evolve our whole industry and reduce the emissions from all aspects, thereby driving towards the Net Zero goal.
Energy demand will only increase as populations grow and develop, and people will continue to use oil and gas regardless of the current social stigma attached to it. So how can the energy industry evolve? Offshore wind generation capacity continues to grow, but fluctuations in power demand and the strength of the wind are independent of one another, thus wind turbines will continue to be taken offline. Yet, offshore platforms, sometimes within plain sight of the windfarms, are burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. Why can’t these platforms be considered a primary customer? Build infrastructure which allows the connection of offshore platforms currently operational. Provide capacity for the connection of new developments, as necessary. Consider the production of offshore green hydrogen. Research is ongoing aimed at adding hydrogen to the natural gas in the national grid, possibly up to 20%, so why not produce the hydrogen offshore, using offshore wind produced electricity, via an electrolysis unit located on the gas platform? The produced hydrogen could then be comingled into the gas export pipeline, providing natural gas produced using renewable sources and exported to the shore with potentially 20% less methane content.
Oil, gas, wind, hydrogen…. all working together in one combined effort to generate more sustainable power along the route to Net Zero. A COVID-19 vaccine was developed in record time due to collaboration and determination. Should we now be using this same attitude to work towards a clean energy future?
Background on TelosNRG
Telos was formed in 2017 as an innovative, dynamic, and experienced operator-led team that provides a comprehensive suite of project management and advisory services, including the supply of “top-up” resources when clients are operating at peak capacity to a wide range of customers, mainly operating across the energy sector.
As part of Telos’ service offerings, we support companies working through their own Energy Transition journey.
If you would like to discuss this or any of our other services with us, please get in touch via our website or call us on +44 207 8594882.