Research Development Design & Innovation

Innovation and new technology are pervasive in the modern economy. This is creating unprecedented opportunities to meet society's needs and aspirations with greatly reduced environmental impact.

This is not only about using cleaner and leaner technologies - although this is important. It is also about new ideas and re-thinking business approach and attitudes to funding innovation, which can help to find smarter forms of production and consumption that use resources more productively.

Improving the way things are designed, made, delivered, used and disposed of. Providing greater value, performance and choice as well as reducing environmental impacts.


Increasing the Value of Wind Power

At present, value is partly determined by cost savings of fossil-fuelled plants through installed wind capacity. The increasing predictability in power output and increase in capacity factor have raised the value of wind-generated electricity.

Equally relevant are cost components in electricity production, such as environmental benefits and consumer preference for green electricity, which are not internalised in electricity prices.

For society, wind energy, like other renewable energy technologies, represents many different values: displacement of fossil fuels that yield hazardous greenhouse gas emissions; increased security of supply through supply diversification; independence from volatile coal, gas and oil prices; reduced depletion of non-renewable natural resources; and sustainable development.

Research, Development, Design and Innovation are required to establish a methodology by which these values may be quantified and optimised.