Wind energy is one of the leading renewables technologies, and is now a fast-paced, global and high-value sector. Since the first edition of this book was published, the scale of projects has risen to many multi-gigawatt projects; the number and scale of developers and professionals in the sector has increased exponentially; the size of turbines has gone from around 3.5MW to 15MW+; and the opportunities in new geographies have galvanised the sector. The number of financiers and investors active in the sector has grown correspondingly. With this growth have come challenges, including increasing politicisation, revenue pressures, competition and decreasing returns. New geographies and technological innovations introduce complex additional issues to address.
As the sector has grown, it has developed wind-specific arrangements that are adapted to its unique attributes as a technology. These characteristics flow into the wind sector’s bespoke commercial, regulatory, industry, financial, legal and investment arrangements. In addition, there has been significant evolution in each stage of the process, from business development and new opportunities, and securing onshore and offshore land rights, to the approaches of consenting authorities and successfully navigating a dynamic contracting market. The prize is worthwhile, with well-structured projects remaining a favourite among financiers and being highly sought after in the M&A market.
This timely new edition of Wind: Projects and Transactions explores how the sector has changed drastically over the past 10 years. The expert contributors to this edition have been involved on the frontline, as architects of many of the changes or as advisers guiding clients through the increasingly diverse areas encountered in the development of wind projects. Project and transactional aspects of the industry are comprehensively analysed, to ensure readers are able to understand the market, what has changed and where further evolution in the existing arrangements is expected or needed. Topics include the legal, industry and regulatory frameworks involved; consenting; insurance; project financing; power purchase agreements and subsidy arrangements; and geographical analyses that provide a regional overview of the key differences in wind energy developments on different continents.
As a practical handbook, this title will give readers a firm grasp of the wind energy industry from both a business and legal perspective – a necessity for those seeking to develop, invest in, regulate or understand what is, alongside solar photovoltaic, currently the most credible of the renewable technologies.
