UK is the 'go-to destination' around the world for expertise on designing, building, and further developing wind, wave, and tidal energy projects, RenewableUK claims.
The UK's wind, wave, and tidal energy sector exports are worth £525m to the economy each year, with British-based companies now exporting their products and services to 37 countries across six continents, according to a new RenewableUK report released today.
The trade body said 47 UK onshore wind, offshore wind, wave and tidal energy companies have signed a total of 465 contracts in the past year, covering hundreds of projects around the world in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America.
Almost 70 per cent of all contracts were in the offshore wind sector alone, which secured deals in 15 countries across five continents, the report states, with Germany the most popular export market followed by Taiwan, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the US.
And despite the axing of government support for new onshore wind farms in the UK, the sector is still exporting onshore wind turbine products and services to 23 countries, the report found.
Similarly, while wave and tidal energy remain relatively nascent in the UK with little policy backing, UK firms working in the marine energy space still managed to export their products and expertise to 12 countries last year.
Products and services sold abroad by the UK renewable sector include blades, supply and installation of power cables both on land and underwater, as well as fabricating specialist steelwork, wildlife monitoring, geological surveys, software systems, and offshore transport vessel expertise, said the trade body.
RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal said the findings demonstrated the good health of the UK clean energy sector not just domestically, but on a world stage, with Britain currently "seen as the go-to destination for expertise in renewable power".
"Renewable energy is providing us with opportunities to act as innovators and leaders in new industries on the world stage," he said. "We can capitalise on this even further in the decades ahead, generating billions for our economy, as well as showing global leadership on climate change."
