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Offshore wind farms Why don't we put all the wind turbines out to sea? Wind turbines can be sited offshore, where the wind blows harder and the available resource is enormous. The UK's first two offshore wind turbines have been installed off Blyth in Northumberland. The UK's first large scale offshore wind farm - North Hoyle - was constructed off the North Wales coast during summer 2003, and launched in the following November. It consists of 30 turbines able to meet the electricity needs of over 40,000 homes. Another 40,000 capacity farm, at Scroby Sands off the East Anglian coast near Great Yarmouth began generating in 2004. Similar sized offshore wind farms are currently being developed in 16 other locations around the British coast.
However, the urgent need to respond to climate change means that we will need to use as many renewable resources as we can, as quickly as possible, and that means both onshore and offshore wind. At present onshore wind is one of the most economically competitive of the renewable technologies. Due to the technical hurdles of offshore construction and connection to the National Grid, the cost of delivered energy from initial offshore wind farms is estimated to be at least 30 per cent higher than that from equivalent land-based turbines. There are also a number of other constraints on the development of offshore wind resources including a limited number of suitable locations, new consents procedures and objections from the Ministry of Defence, which are likely to slow progress of some of these sites.
The offshore wind resource is huge - the DTI estimates it could supply current electricity demand 10 times over, and we have no doubt that offshore wind will soon play an important role in our electricity mix. However, onshore wind is also essential if the UK renewable energy market is to be successful, and if the government's target of 10 per cent of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2010 is to be met.
Furthermore, as many people like the look of wind turbines, it should not be assumed that it would be more desirable to situate all wind turbines far offshore. Onshore wind farms can also represent significant generators of revenue for small rural communities and, particularly, for farmers who are already being hit by falling crop prices. Well placed onshore wind farms can therefore make a significant contribution to reducing and reversing the decline of rural communities that we have seen in the UK over the last 60+ years.
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