Efficiency increases made to current and future wind turbines through photonics could negate the need to build the equivalent of five Hinkley nuclear power stations - saving £100 billion.
Just a 1.5-2 per cent efficiency gain in current and future wind turbines enabled by photonics could provide an additional 15 GW electricity-generating capacity globally by 2035, equivalent to five Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations.
These findings are a result of a new report, ‘UK Photonics 2035: The Vision’, commissioned by the Photonics Leadership Group (PLG), which outlines photonics potential future impact, including its contribution to achieving Net Zero.
These wind turbine efficiency gains will come partly from emerging light detection and ranging (lidar) technologies, which are used to more accurately measure the weather so turbines can be set more optimally to wind conditions.
Simon Andrews, who leads Fraunhofer UK Research, commented: Turbines are now getting to 100-200 metres in diameter in size. And that sort of scale between the top and the bottom and the left and the right, the winds can be going in opposite directions. So having wind lidar systems looking out several kilometres in advance gives enough time for a control system to, first of all, avoid catastrophic failure with extreme gusts. But also to take a considered view as to when to change the blade angle so that you're maximising electricity generation.’
‘Again, it sounds small but arguably lidar would have as much impact as giving everyone on the planet a smart metre,’ he said.
Infographic: Photonics' impact on energy
The PLG report also detailed other ways that photonics is and will contribute to achieve Net Zero going forwards.
One of these is through flexible high-efficiency photovoltaics that can be seamlessly integrated into buildings - into window panels, for example - without compromising aesthetics and land use.
Innovation in integrated photonics will reduce datacentre energy consumption by more than 50 per cent by 2035, the report highlighted. Datacentres already consume four per cent of global energy, a share that will increase rapidly without action as the digital economy accelerates.
