(image and story from Associated Press)
LONDON – The world's largest offshore wind farm opened off the southeast coast of England on Thursday, as part of the British government's push to boost renewable energy.
Swedish energy company Vattenfall, which constructed the wind farm, said the 100 turbines off the coast of Thanet could, at their peak, produce enough electricity a year to power the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes.
The huge site on the North Sea, built seven miles (12 kilometers) off the coast, will boost the renewable energy now generated by the onshore and offshore wind turbines around the U.K.
With the opening of the Thanet wind farm, Britain now has the capacity to produce 5 gigawatts of wind-powered energy — roughly the amount of energy needed to power all the homes in Scotland, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said.
Britain gets only 3 percent of its energy from renewable sources but is aiming for a target of 15 percent by 2020. The nation ranks 25th of 27 European Union countries on action on green power.
"We are an island nation and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave and tidal resources to the maximum," Huhne said at a ceremony at sea as he officially opened the Thanet wind farm.
Each Thanet turbine is up to 380 feet (115 meters) tall and the site is as large as 4,000 football fields. Vattenfall said its new farm could generate 300 megawatts of energy at full capacity, although critics note that wind power output can be intermittent and variable. The company said the farm is expected to operate for at least 25 years.
link to full story: Wind Farm
While I was checking my e-mail on Yahoo, this story caught my attention. The pictures of those huge wind turbines in the ocean are awesome! It says that those 100 turbines can produce enough electricity to power about 200,000 homes. I wonder how many homes that is per wind turbine? I bet those things are VERY expensive to build…but I am sure it will be worth it in the long run. This “wind powered, renewable energy” sounds pretty good. I wonder what the difference is between renewable energy and what we use now?
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe the size of that wind farm…4,000 football fields! How many yards would LaDainian Tomlinson or Ahmad Bradshaw have to run to score on that field?
Well Mr.Galloway I think that so cool too that it is the size of 4,000 football fields!Do you know what amazed me the most how the wind farms can power 200,000 houses.I still think that is wasteing energy if everyone could turn off the light while their not in the room and turn the water off when your hands are'nt under the water.....Little...by...little it could make a huge change..I'm willing to make that change are you??Helena Eason~
ReplyDeletetest response
ReplyDeleteWell I think that if they put this in the whole world that the world we be a better place. Swedish energy company Vattenfall, which constructed the wind farm, said the 100 turbines off the coast of, at their peak, produce enough electricity a year to power the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes. I think that if I had the opportunity when I am older I will put this in my house. The huge site on the North Sea, built seven miles (12 kilometers) off the coast, will boost the renewable energy now generated by the onshore and offshore wind turbines around the U.K. Well I say this is a good idea for the world because it will not hurt the earth.
ReplyDeleteI really like how the wind farms can produce enough electricity to power 200,000 houses because it can help a lot of people that don’t have electricity for heat or we can make houses.We should really stop wasting electric power like for example turn it off if your not using it because that power can be used for someone else.
ReplyDeleteI found this interesting because I can’t believe these wind turbines are in the middle of the ocean. I would think that they should last more than 25 years because there is so many of them. I wonder how the wind turbines get there energy. Maybe they get energy from the wind. Between renewable energy and what we use now is different because renewable energy can be used more than once, and that is why it is renewable. The energy we use now is not renewable, so we need more of it. Like a flashlight needs batteries, and soon the light in the bulb will go out because there is no more electricity in the batteries. Then you will need more batteries, or more electricity. The wind turbines have renewable energy. I think that is a good thing because we cook with electricity and need light, but you can still use a candle if you have one, and now this energy will last at least 25 years.
ReplyDelete