Leading offshore renewable energy (ORE) experts have called for urgent, innovation-led action to help the UK meet its net zero targets in a new report.

The ORE Outlook 2040 from the Supergen ORE Hub, led from Plymouth by a consortium of ten universities including the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Strathclyde, says the development of energy generation from the sea must be significantly accelerated over the next 16 years.

“The UK has abundant offshore wind, wave and tidal energy resources and leads globally in ORE technology, but faster, more focused action is required to ensure we meet Net Zero 2050 target,” said Hub director and University of Plymouth professor Deborah Greaves OBE.

“Research and innovation is critical—accelerating the optimisation of existing technologies, reducing design uncertainty, and discovering new ways to plan and construct these devices.

“Business as usual is not enough; radical changes are required to ensure we have the innovation needed to upscale the offshore renewable energy sector and to develop the skilled workforce required to meet the needs of the future renewable energy sector.”

Aimed at researchers, industry, policymakers, and the public, the report summarises current climate change impacts and the UK’s progress to date on reducing carbon emissions.

It shows the ORE deployment pathways needed to reach net zero via a just, sustainable, and energy transition by 2050 using the year 2040 as a key milestone.

In particular, it outlined how achieving 100 GW (gigawatts) of offshore wind energy by 2040 is critical for the UK’s future energy supply. This requires a nearly sevenfold increase in capacity, making radical innovation essential to achieve this growth by optimising and scaling up.

Tidal stream energy is on a similar growth trajectory as offshore wind, but needs continued support to maintain this momentum, the report also highlighted. Over 12 GW of tidal stream and wave energy capacity is projected in the UK by 2050, equating to 10% of offshore wind capacity.

As it stands, the UK currently leads the world in wave and tidal technology development, which is projected to be worth £40bn GVA to the UK economy and reduce energy balancing costs by £1 billion a year.

While wave energy is not yet commercially deployed, the UK has significant potential, with an estimated exploitable wave energy resource of 25 GW. Investment in wave energy technology research over the next decade is essential to unlock its potential, it’s been noted.

Recommended reading

• New Funding for Green Economy Research at Scottish Universities
• Are High Costs Impeding the Public From Adopting Low Carbon Tech?
• How Many Scots Support Clean Energy Infrastructure Being Built?

Commenting on the report and the findings, professor Beth Scott at the University of Aberdeen, said: “As a Co-Director of the Supergen ORE, and the Environmental Champion, I am very pleased to see this informative report out today that will help to illuminate the urgent need for innovative, joined-up interdisciplinary approaches across engineering and ecological sciences to accelerate and improve our understanding of ocean interactions while optimising ORE solutions in its critical role in helping us meet Net Zero targets.

“In particular, the Supergen ORE approach is supporting and encouraging innovation in robotics and remote and autonomous systems for data collection along with AI modelling tools for analysis at the spatial level of regional marine ecosystems. We are championing the shared use of infrastructure through hybrid systems and co-location of technologies and activities in the same ocean space.

“These approaches will help reduce the time and cost of survey data collection as the simultaneous sensing of resource data will help optimise the use of data collection resources and the value of surveys and instrumentation.”