In order to find out more about the wind around Jersey's territorial waters to inform future planning for renewable energy, the Meteorological office, working with stakeholders, has installed weather monitoring equipment on outlying rocks three kilometres from the main island of the Écréhous and six kilometres from the main island of the Minquiers.
The project will transmit information on wind resources around our waters and will help inform discussions about harnessing wind energy in the future.
The data will also be used to help with:
- forecasting the weather
- checking the forecasts
- improving safety at sea
It is hoped that the information will be published online and updated hourly, which will allow mariners to check wind information before they head out to sea.
The first masts and communications kit were put in place at the end of September 2013. Since then wind data has been successfully collected and sent via GSM to Jersey Met.
Between 2009 and 2013 the Renewable Energy Commission carried out feasibility work into offshore renewable energy. Details are in the Tidal power for Jersey - the next steps report.
In 2017 further feasibility work was carried out to reassess progress in the tidal stream industry and the opportunities for Jersey. The Tidal stream industry update found that the industry had not progressed as quickly as hoped.
Tidal stream energy harvesting is still not considered cost effective for Jersey.
As Jersey is not a member of the EU, financial subsidies are not available for offshore renewable energy generation.