Updated: Study suggests offshore winds are getting stronger

The UK's offshore wind industry has received a further boost this week with the release of new data suggesting that wind speeds in the southern part of the North Sea are increasing.

Coming just days after the government announced it is to increase financial support for offshore wind farms by £525m over the next two years, experts said the research should further strengthen the economic case for offshore developments.

The research from renewable energy consultancy Atmos Consulting used Nasa satellite images to assess wind speeds in the North Sea and found that average annual wind speed in the southern part of the North Sea has increased from about 7.5 metres per second in 1990 to 8.5 metres per second last year.

The study, which also found that wind speeds in the northern part of the North Sea had remained largely constant, measured the size of the waves featured on the satellite images and used the data to calculate wind speeds.

Atmos Consulting said that the increased speeds, which are believed to be a result of climate change, meant that wind farms in the North Sea could produce 50 per cent more energy than predicted a decade ago.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, Martin Raynor, manager of Atmos Consulting's WindScan division, said the study also revealed that the main increase in wind speeds had occurred during the summer months, when average speeds had risen from six to seven metres per second.

"That is better news for developers than increases in winter wind speeds as it closes the variation between winter and summer, making it easier to handle peaks and troughs in power output," he said. "It also means we are not seeing big increases in stormy weather in the winter, which can be a problem for the turbines."

The findings are likely to be welcomed by offshore wind developers as projects in the southern North Sea should be easier to connect to large population centres in the South East.

"This study provides further evidence that the UK has the best wind resources in Europe and enormous untapped potential to create a world-leading offshore wind industry," said Charles Anglin of the British Wind Energy Association. "It further adds to optimism in the sector following the Budget."

The new data will also strengthen the economic case for the next wave of four planned offshore wind farms, including the world's largest offshore wind project, the Thames Array.

Industry insiders had feared the projects would be postponed as a result of the fall in the value of the pound and its effect on the cost of importing wind turbines.

However, Anglin said that the increase in financial support announced by the chancellor last week meant that there was now widespread optimism that the projects would continue. "The figures certainly look a lot better than they did this time last week," he added.

The coalition behind the London Array – which includes energy firms E.ON and Dong Energy as well as Abu Dhabi investment giant Masdar – is currently assessing whether or not the economic case for the project still stacks up. A final decision is expected in the next few weeks.