The pace at which wind turbine technology has developed over the last two decades has exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts. Turbines have got bigger faster than anybody expected to the point that now some offshore wind farms have electric power outputs greater than the conventional fossil-fuelled power stations that they are replacing. This talk will look at the growth in turbine size over time, what this means for some local wind farm projects, what the major challenges and what comes next for the wind energy sector and where the UK sits internationally with its deployment of wind power.

About our speaker

Professor Simon Hogg, BSc PhD CEng FIMechE holds the Ørsted Chair in Renewable Energy at Durham University, UK, and was Head of the Department of Engineering for 5 years until July 2022. He was the Executive Director of the Durham Energy Institute for three years from 2014 to 2017. He is a mechanical engineer with research interests in the general areas of renewable and conventional power generation. Before joining Durham University in 2010, Simon worked for Alstom (now GE Power) for 12 years. He held senior management/technical leadership positions in R&D and then Alstom’s Steam Turbine Retrofit Business, eventually becoming Engineering Director for this business in 2007. Simon is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.