Lillgrund Wind Farm's wind turbines in the Sound near Copenhagen and Malmö (Photo: Mariusz Paździora)
Since the earthquake and nuclear power catastrophe in Japan, alternative energy is more and more in the focus of the general public. However, already in May 2010 a senior government panel in Japan has established a plan to massively increase offshore wind power production, which would create as much energy as 10 nuclear plants. The drama of Fukushima has certainly outlined the need for urgent action on the matter, because nuclear power is just too expensive and dangerous in the long run.
But what exactly is Offshore Wind Power? Let's consult Wikipedia:
Offshore wind power refers to the construction of wind farms in bodies of water to generate electricity from wind. Unlike the term typical usage of the term "offshore" in the marine industry, offshore wind power includes inshore water areas such as lakes, fjords and sheltered coastal areas, utilizing traditional fixed-bottom wind turbine technologies, as well as deep-water areas utilizing floating wind turbines.
Danish Wind Turbines, close to Copenhagen
The future for Offshore Wind seems to be quite bright, considering the announcements already made in early 2010. Especially in the UK some of the most powerful farms are planned to be built in the next decades, according to the BBC.
As of October 2010, 3.16 gigawatt (GW) of offshore wind power capacity was operational, mainly in Northern Europe. More than 16 GW of additional capacity will be installed before the end of 2014 and the United Kingdom and Germany will become the two leading markets. Offshore wind power capacity is expected to reach a total of 75 GW worldwide by 2020, with significant contributions from China and the United States, according to a report by BTM Consult.
One of the technically most challenging projects is currently being built in the north sea: BARD Offshore 1 is a 400 megawatt North Sea offshore wind farm that is presently under construction and is expected to be fully operational by 2012. It will be an 80-turbine wind farm, located 100 km northwest of the isle Borkum, in Germany, in water which is 40 metres deep. The 200 km cable connection is the longest connection to an offshore wind farm in the world.
Energy Union supports the building of offshore wind farms to support Intelligent Energy.
