Wind farm explosion

Approximately 11 areas in the United Kingdom are being targeted as possible sites for the development of offshore wind farms. This is one of the most recent programs initiated to ensure that the United Kingdom meets its electricity requirements from green and renewable sources.

The government has made it clear that it wants a fifth of all the electricity by the year 2020 to hail from renewable energy sources. In that regard offshore wind energy has emerged as a highly potential source.

If the plans succeed the United Kingdom will emerge as the biggest producer of wind energy beating Denmark to the line.
The Crown Estate which is charged with the responsibility of managing the sea bed disclosed that it will play a major role in ensuring that the wind energy projects take off in time and that by 2020 they will all be up and running.

The Crown Estate will meet half of the costs required to fund the project. It will also be involved in looking for the wind turbines.

Bids for development of the wind farms are expected to be invited any time soon and the signing of the contracts is likely to take place early in 2009.

In case all goes according to plan, the amount of energy being generated from offshore will rise from eight gigawatts to between twenty five and thirty three gigawatts by the year 2020. This would be enough electricity for all the households in the United Kingdom. This was revealed by Rob Hastings, the director of marine estates at Crown Estate.

www.thecrownestate.co.uk