PUTTING THE WIND IN OUR SAILS FOR A FAR GREENER FUTURE
THE growth of Britain’s offshore wind industry has made the giant turbines dotting its coastlines one of the country’s greatest industrial success stories since the discovery of North Sea oil.
As the UK continues to move away from fossil fuels, renewable energy jobs are expected to boom.
One report states that more than 80 per cent of energy jobs by 2050 are expected to be in renewables.
ScottishPower has been at the heart of the renewables revolution in the UK for about 30 years.
It is the UK’s only integrated energy company and generates 100 per cent green electricity from offshore and onshore wind.
Now it has joined forces with Shell in a bid to build windfarms in deeper waters than ever thought possible. Through the partnership, ScottishPower aims to maintain its leading role and create a whole new green global offshore industry right here in Scotland.
Companies who want to utilise these deep water sites are going to have to pioneer floating wind platforms on a scale that has never before been seen, more than 60 miles away from the shore.
With that will come the expertise to place Scotland at the forefront of the renewable revolution. This will benefit a new generation as well as those who have moved away from jobs within the fossil industry.
Tom Connell works on the Whitelee windfarm site, south of Glasgow, as an operational controller.
Tom and his colleagues monitor and manage all the ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) onshore and offshore windfarms across Europe, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He has enjoyed a
ScottishPower, during a time that has seen a great deal of change in how electricity is generated in Scotland.
His first position was as a youth trainee laboratory technician at the Cockenzie coal-fired power station in East Lothian, testing coal samples.
He later transferred to the Longannet coal-fired power station in Fife, until it was eventually closed in 2016.
The closure of Longannet and Cockenzie have been significant steps taken in ScottishPower’s low-carbon transition, from a largely fossil-fuel based generating portfolio to one now based entirely on renewables.
When Longannet closed, Tom faced employment uncertainty. However, SPR recognised Tom’s valuable skills and experience, and transferred him to a position at Whitelee. Since joining the SPR team in 2016, Tom has gained significant experience of windfarm operations.
He now finds himself part of a team that operates one of Europe’s largest renewable fleets, with more than 1,450 wind turbines, and has become a strong advocate of the shift towards a low-carbon generating system.
“I see windfarms as being part of the future. While I spent the first part of my career in coal-fired power stations, I now really appreciate working in the clean environment of a wind farm control centre,” he says.
“We can look outside the control centre windows and see the Whitelee turbines turning – it’s a constant reminder that we are part of something positive.
“My career change from coal plants to windfarms has been a great adventure, a new chapter in my life and a great challenge.”