UK Leads the World in Offshore Wind Power

London Array officially became the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm in March 2013. 141 of the 175 3.6 MW Siemens wind turbines are able to generate 507 MW of energy for UK homes and businesses, as reported by London Array.

This is a significant achievement for everyone involved in the project which generated first power in October 2012.  The final turbine was installed in December 2012 and the project is expected to be fully operational in the spring of 2013.

The Array’s large offshore wind fleet of 175 turbines will be capable of generating enough energy to power nearly half a million homes and reduce harmful CO2 emissions by over 900,000 tons a year.

Photo: Michael Batey | Wikimedia Commons

Blyth Offshore Wind Turbines The two 2 MW turbines at the Blyth offshore wind farm were at the time of construction the largest erected offshore in the world. They were also the first to be built in such a demanding position, subject to the full forces of the North Sea.

The UK is currently the global leader in offshore wind power. They have more installed wind capacity than the rest of the world combined, according to Renewable UK.

The UK has been working for more than 10 years on increasingly larger wind projects. The island country had installed capacity just under 3 GW (2,996 MW) at the end of 2012, compared to 1.8 GW a year earlier.

Their ambition is to deploy up to 18 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2020. They are working to deliver 25 GW of capacity, either completed or under construction, by 2020.

By Amber Archangel

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