All major renewable energy sources will be needed to meet the challenges of mitigating climate change and providing energy security, according to Ian Mays, chief executive of RES Group. 

In a report filed by telegraph.co.uk, Mays said that the biggest renewable energy source in Britain is wind because 40 percent of Europe’s winds blow over the UK. 

“It’s a huge resource and we need to start tapping it,” said Mays. 

Among the projects in its portfolio, RES has offshore wind projects with energy group Centrica, operating the 194MW Lynn and Inner Dowsing site off Skegness and developing the 200MW Lincs wind farm, also off Lincolnshire. 

Mays says RES is also bidding for a number of offshore projects in the current third round of projects being allocated by the Crown Estate. He said offshore can be twice as expensive because you have to pay for the foundations and for cabling to the shore, but the cost of energy is the key thing. 

“You get more energy from offshore projects because wind speeds are higher,” he added. 

It is estimated that the UK has 9GW of wind energy projects on and offshore with planning consent or in construction, as much as 5GW of which could be completed within the next two-three years. It is being said that sorting out funding issues at this stage is crucial if the nation has to make a decisive step towards reaching its 2020 renewable energy targets.