emerged witharoundhalf ofthese being builtinjustthe lastdecade.
Large numbers of such projects are either planned for the future.
While many of these are speculative, subsea HVDC cable projects
will be an established feature of future European grids. Moreover,
the capacity and voltage of these HVDC cables are also increasing:
1000 MW is now unremarkable as are voltages of 500 kV DC [3].
When looked at in this context, the potential for an offshore grid
seems tantalizing close and achievable.
Some advocates are bullish about the potential for a North Sea
Offshore super-grid, arguing it could contribute as much as 200 GW
of electricity by the 2050s [4]. Environmental NGOs are mostly supportive
of these ideas. For example, the environmental think-tank
E3G has argued: