UK leads the world in offshore wind farms

The UK is now the world’s leading producer of offshore wind power, ousting Denmark from the top spot.

The completion of an offshore wind farm on the coast of Lincolnshire puts the UK’s total offshore wind capacity to three gigawatts, up from just one gigawatt in 2005.

Gordon Brown announced the news in a video message to the British Wind Energy Association’s (BWEA’s) conference this week.

In the message he told delegates at the conference that Britain has know for a long time that it has the best wind energy resources in Europe.

He added that the UK is well on its way to making full use of the wind around its shoreline.

Brown anticipates that by 2020 the North Sea will be to wind power production what the Gulf of Arabia is to oil production.

Mike O’Brien, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climage Change, also commented, saying that becoming a world leader in wind production is just the start for Britain.

According to O’Brien, five more wind farms due to be compete by the end of 2009 will bring the UK’s total offshore windfarm output to almost four gigawatts.

He added that the government is looking at plans to add an additional 25 gigawatts worth of wind farms around the UK’s coastline - enough to provide power for every household in the country.

A scheme to reduce the cost of installing wind farms was also announced by the government.

The Wind Accelerator programme, put together by the Carbon Trust, will cut the cost of wind energy by 10%.

Five ‘major players’ in the offshore wind farm industry are already on board.

Environmental campaigners, however, have warned that the UK is close the bottom of European league tables when it comes to harnessing available renewable energy.

A spokesperson for Friends of the Earth told the government to stop trying to avoid European Union green energy targets and start investing more in renewable energy schemes that will make a real difference.