China - Meeting the Challenges of Offshore and Large-Scale Wind Power : Regulatory Review of Offshore Wind in Five European Countries

The objective of this study is to review international experience in offshore wind power development and draw on the lessons learned from the experience of different countries. To date, that experience has predominantly been limited to Europe. Significantly different regulatory and physical planning approaches have been taken in the different countries. Hence, the experience is particularly helpful in providing suggestions for a new market. The study focuses on describing the past, present, and planned future regulatory regime in each country. Both positive and negative experiences to date have been explored in the context of regulatory arrangements, and they have been used to draw general conclusions on the characteristics of the most effective systems. At the same time, it has been recognized throughout that a single model is unlikely to provide the 'best fit' for all countries, given national differences. Chapters two, three, and four, focusing on market development, targets and incentives, and regulatory framework, respectively, provide background information on each country studied. These chapters are primarily descriptive in nature. Chapter five provides a discussion of the lessons that can be learned from the experience in each national market, as well as the underlying incentives (or drivers) for overcoming barriers and deploying offshore wind capacity in each case. Chapter six draws this experience together as it identifies and summarizes recurring themes and uses them to develop suggested best practice for the regulation of offshore wind. A glossary is included that explains important terms and abbreviations used within the report. The appendixes summarize the actual consenting experience in a number of countries.