Report: Global renewable energy robotics market to be worth £1.3bn by 2030

The global market for robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) used to operate and maintain onshore and offshore wind farms is expected to be worth £1.3bn by 2030, as demand for renewable energy soars over the coming decade and beyond in order to reach net zero goals, according to the UK's offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.

Across the entire energy sector - both renewable and fossil-based - the global market for robotics is set to be worth £8.4bn by 2050, but the government-initiated research body said offshore and onshore renewables were on course to open up a new frontier that would drive the highest growth in the RAS for energy sector.

While the robotics market for oil and gas is set to peak at £5bn in 2030 before falling back to £3.3bn by 2050, as the focus switches away from fossil fuels the onshore and offshore wind energy sectors are set to deliver a robotics market value worth as much as £3.5bn, ORE Catapult's research found.

As such, with the UK targeting a seven-fold increase in offshore wind capacity by 2050, the research body said the growing market for robotics and automated systems presented a major opportunity for the country to leverage its offshore oil and gas experience to support the operation and maintenance of offshore renewables, a market that is expected to double with its export potential reaching £1.2bn in 2050.

The expansion of offshore wind is also set to create jobs that will replace the jobs lost from the declining oil and gas industry, with RAS expected to open up 200,000 jobs across all sectors in the UK by 2038, it estimated

"The growth of the global energy market presents a remarkable opportunity for robotics and autonomous systems," said Gavin Smart, head of analysis and insights at ORE Catapult. "This is not only the case in offshore renewables, a sector which continues to grow at pace, but also in oil and gas in the short to medium term. What is unique about the robotics market is the potential for cross-application technologies. It is likely that the solutions that will maximise performance, increase efficiency and improve safety will be adapted to work across multiple industries - inside and outside energy."

Robotics are already commonly used in the offshore wind sector to carry out essential maintanence services, with robots having been developed to crawl on wind turbing blades to repair them, perform subsea cleaning and inspection tasks, and drive autonomous underwater vessels.

The research follows a report from the Global Wind Energy council earlier this month suggesting the offshore wind industry was set to expand rapidly in coming years, although it warned that more policies were needed for the world to deliver net zero by mid-century.

"As we continue to work towards achieving net zero, it is clear that robotics will play a key part," added Smart. "The opportunity this presents for the UK is significant - across the supply chain we can create jobs, upskill our energy workforce, build export potential and add value to our economy."