It's switch-on time for Scotland's first offshore wind farm

The first of 60 turbines that make up E.On's Robin Rigg wind farm in the Solway Firth will be connected to the national grid within days.

Once complete, the huge green energy project will provide enough electricity for almost 120,000 homes – cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 220,000 tonnes a year.

Energy experts say the switch-on of the first of Robin Rigg's turbines marks the start of a revolution in offshore wind for Scotland.

Jenny Hogan, senior wind energy officer at Scottish Renewables, said: "Scotland's first commercial offshore wind farm heralds the dawn of a new era in harvesting green energy from our seas."

The Robin Rigg turbines are set to be followed by thousands more in Scotland's seas.

Earlier this year, renewables firms were granted "exclusivity agreements" for offshore wind farms in ten other areas of Scottish territorial water, which extends 12 nautical miles out to sea. They include a second wind farm planned by E.On for another part of the Solway Firth.

If each of the ten planned wind farms is granted permission, 6.4 gigawatts of electricity would be generated from the offshore sites. This is double the amount of electricity currently generated by all the renewable projects in the country, including onshore wind and hydro schemes.

There are also plans, within the Crown Estate's Round 3 offshore wind programme , to build two further massive wind farms beyond Scottish territorial waters – in the Moray Firth and to the east of the Firth of Forth.

These could be so big they involve more turbines than all ten offshore wind projects in Scottish territorial waters put together, according to experts.

Ms Hogan said Scotland was on the cusp of an "offshore energy revolution".

"With even more sites likely to appear on the map off Scotland's shores in the next few months, we are on the cusp of a new offshore energy revolution not seen since the 1970s' oil boom," she said.

Ian Johnson, senior project manager for Robin Rigg, said engineers were just waiting for a weather window to connect the first turbine, which would happen before the end of the month.

"It's going to be fantastic because we have been working so hard on it for so long now," he said.

"As soon as the first power comes out there will be a great deal of happy people."

Initially eight turbines will be connected, providing enough power for 15,000 homes, with the others following in batches until the entire wind farm is up and running, probably by the end of the year – although the final few giant turbines have yet to be built.

Scotland has a legally binding target of generating half of its electricity from green sources by 2020.

Experts believe offshore wind will play a substantial role in achieving that target.

However, Mr Johnson said constraints such as the slow planning process must be improved if the targets are to be met.

He said Scotland had the potential to be a major player in the offshore wind sector.

"It's got one of the best wind resources in Europe, if not the world," he said.

"We need to have the will to utilise that and be a major player. Government and other decision makers must now act fast to grasp the huge opportunities that this industry can bring, helping to meet Scotland's world-leading climate targets and bringing thousands of jobs to Scotland.

"Investors need clear, positive signals that Scotland is the ideal place to build, operate and supply to offshore wind farms.

"Without a fit-for-purpose electricity grid, a fast and predictable planning system, and suppliers on hand to get projects built, Scotland's offshore ambitions will be dead in the water.

"With so much competition for skilled people and resources across the UK, Scotland will lose out unless we move quickly and confidently to prepare for this exciting new industry."

Power struggle against the elements

BATTERED by five-foot waves and howling winds, it is no ordinary working environment.

As many Scots go to an office each morning, offshore wind farm workers wake up out at sea at the mercy of the elements.

When the sea is calm and the sun shining, the gigantic turbines and their 160-tonne foundations can be installed within a few days.

However, during the worst weather of the winter, it can take more than a week.

Ian Johnson, a 41-year-old mechanical engineer, has been in charge of building Scotland's first offshore wind farm since work started 17 months ago.

"One of the major challenges with offshore wind is the weather – and the wind," he said.

"The Solway Firth is a brilliant location for generating power from the wind, but that makes it a difficult location for constructing turbines. It's a conundrum.

"During the installation you are lifting very large, heavy components, some of which are designed to catch the wind. It can become very dangerous.

"I have been on the foundation vessel in late November when the wind is howling.

"You can hear the tarpaulins flapping. The waves can be four or five metres high. You just want to hunker down in your cabin. Then another day it can be glorious."

Despite the difficulties, 57 of the 60 turbines have now been successfully installed.

Specialist jack-up vessels are used both to install the turbines and to house workers.

Each has legs that lift out of the water while the vessel is moving, and are then lowered to stand on the sea bed to create a stable platform when stationary.

Up to 200 people, many of them former oil industry workers, are at sea at a time.

The first job involves installing the turbines' foundation.

A crane lifts it from the deck of the installation vessel and swings the construction into the water, before a hydraulic hammer bashes it up to 20 metres into the sea bed like a giant nail.

Then the turbine, with two of its three 44-metre blades pre-attached, must be added on to the foundation.

Tugs drag a jack-up vessel into position. The third of the seven-tonne blades is fitted out at sea.

Mr Johnson said despite some early opposition to the wind farm, eight miles south-east of Balcary Point, people often do not even realise it is there.

The turbines, standing 27 metres out of the water, often lie shrouded in a haze.

"You can stand on shore and say, 'What do you think of the wind farm' and people say, 'What wind farm?'," said Mr Johnson.

"At the start it wasn't something people were too keen on. But since the turbines have been erected that seems to have stopped.

"The fear of not knowing what it would look like was worse than the reality."

DEALBREAKERS

FACTORS that could make or break Scotland's offshore wind future:

Public opinion:

There is likely to be less opposition to offshore than onshore wind farms though the anti-wind lobby opposes them as costly and inefficient.

Manpower:

A study by The Scotsman last week showed six out of ten green energy companies in Scotland were struggling to fill vacancies because of a skills shortage.

Supply chain:

A few years ago turbines could be supplied in a matter of months, but with growing worldwide emphasis on renewable energy, the wait may now be three years.

Grid connection:

Scotland's electricity grid lacks the capacity for large-scale increases in renewables, and extensions must be built for offshore wind farms to be connected.

Political will:

The Scottish Government backs renewables, but unless it acts fast on problems such as grid access, energy firms will go elsewhere.

Planning process:

Planning decisions take too long, according to renewables firms.

Conflicting interests:

Offshore wind sites can also be important for marine wildlife, fishing and shipping.

Cost:

During the recession, renewables firms face tough investment decisions. However, due to legally binding green energy targets, the government is likely to continue financial support for renewables.