Ørsted launches world’s first heavy-lift cargo drone operations

Ørsted is deploying heavy-lift cargo drones for the first time in an operational campaign at the UK’s Borssele 1 and 2 offshore wind farm. Building on previous trials, the 70 kg drones (which have a wingspan of 2.6 metres) are being used to transport cargo of up to 100 kg from a vessel to all 94 wind turbines at Borssele. The concept was tested last year at the Hornsea 1 offshore wind farm in the UK.

Previously, updating safety and evacuation equipment at wind turbines required extensive vessel operations, including cranes to transfer cargo to the nacelle, the top of the turbine. The traditional process could take up to six hours per turbine. However, with the introduction of the drones, Ørsted claims to have reduced this time to just four minutes per turbine, achieving task completion 10–15 times faster than before.

The use of drones offers several advantages: cost reduction, enhanced safety and improved operational efficiency. By eliminating the need for multiple ship journeys and crane operations, drones also reduce carbon emissions and lower the risks associated with personnel working on turbines. Moreover, as wind turbines remain operational during drone deliveries, there is minimal disruption, further optimising performance.

World headed towards a doubling of wind capacity by 2030, 585 GW short of what is required

While technological innovations like Ørsted’s drones are making wind energy operations more efficient, the broader industry faces challenges in building enough of them to meet global capacity targets. A new report from energy think tank Ember suggests that national wind targets are projected to more than double global wind capacity by 2030 – from 901 GW in 2022 to 2,157 GW. However, this falls short of the tripling agreed at COP28 in order to keep the 1.5°C climate goal within reach. Achieving a global tripling of wind would require an additional 585 GW of capacity, according to Ember.

‘Governments are lacking ambition on wind, and especially onshore wind,’ says Dr Katye Altieri, Electricity Analyst at Ember. ‘Amidst the hype of solar, wind is not getting enough attention, even though it provides cheap electricity and complements solar.’

The report highlights significant regional disparities in wind capacity expansion. China, the global leader, is expected to overachieve by tripling its wind capacity by 2030.

In contrast, other major players like the US and India are lagging. The US, despite modelling that suggests a 2.6 times increase in capacity from 142 GW in 2022 to 369 GW in 2030, is far behind in actual implementation. With just 6.4 GW added in 2023, the US needs to accelerate its annual installations to 32 GW from 2024 onwards to meet its goals, says Ember.

India faces a similar challenge. To reach its target of 110 GW of wind capacity by 2030, the country must build 9.3 GW annually – a significant leap from the 2.8 GW installed in 2023.

Meanwhile, countries like Brazil and Türkiye are either meeting or exceeding their targets, with Brazil setting a record by adding 5 GW in 2023, far surpassing the 0.3 GW annual requirement to meet its 2030 goals. Türkiye’s goal is to generate 12% of electricity from wind in 2030, which has already almost been achieved. However, this is in part because its ‘target lacks ambition’, says Ember, who believes the country is capable of meeting a higher target.

‘Solar and wind are expected to provide over 90% of the growth in renewables capacity for a global tripling. To triple the renewable capacity with increased efficiency, the world needs to focus on rapidly building wind power. The rapid growth in a few countries and the upward revisions of forecasts in key regions indicate that with the right combination of policy, regulatory and financial support, rapid and large-scale wind growth can be enabled,’ concludes the report.

EIB and Deutsche Bank to boost Europe’s wind energy manufacturers

Ember’s call for financial support is being answered partly by the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s recent activation of a €5bn initiative to support manufacturers of wind-energy equipment in Europe by extending a €500mn counter-guarantee to Germany-based Deutsche Bank. The transaction will enable Deutsche Bank to set up a portfolio of up to €1bn of banking guarantees for new investment in wind farms in the European Union (EU).

The deal represents the first operation under the December 2023 EIB plan as part of the EU Wind Power Package that aims to maintain a healthy and competitive wind energy supply chain across the EU.

The EIB’s counter-guarantees are designed to share credit risks faced by commercial banks when dealing with players in the wind industry.

The EIB-Deutsche Bank €1bn guarantee facility is expected to initiate private investments of up to €8bn.

Wind energy will play a significant role in achieving the EU’s target of a 45% renewable energy share by the end of the decade, which will require installed wind capacity to expand by 117 GW, of which the EIB`s €5bn initiative will enable building 32 GW.

Protecting the environment while going green

As the wind energy sector accelerates, there is a growing emphasis on not only expanding capacity but also protecting the environment. A recent study by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) explores ways to enhance biodiversity in offshore wind farms. The Collaboration for Environmental Mitigation & Nature Inclusive Design (CEMNID) project, a partnership between wind developers and Scottish regulators, recommends integrating features like fish ‘hotels’, adaptable rock protection, reef-type structures, mattresses for cable protection and water replenishment holes (enabling water flow through monopiles).

Current mitigation measures for seabird colonies including adjusting turbine layouts in response to observed bird behaviours and increasing the ‘air gap’ between blades and the sea are highlighted by the study as examples of best practice. The report also identifies the selection of infrastructure and vessel lighting and cable burial decisions as helping to minimise potential effects on local ecology.