Jerome's version of our week in Berlin hits the high points very coherently.  Offshore Windpower 2007 was especially interesting for me in seeing firsthand the changes in the industry since my last offshore conference, EWEA's first in Brussels in December 2001.  There were about 200-250 people there, and no where near the utility and heavy industry presence of the past years.  The other major difference is that where in Brussels only some small near shore parks had been developed, by this conference there were already several large parks operating, another handful of medium sized parks, and a number of turbines operating which were specifically designed for the offshore market.  Back in Brussels they were merely designs on the drawing board, but now there are major 5 and 6MW test turbines operating, including two from REpower operating in deep water (greater than 40m.) .

I'm sorry i wasn't able to jump into the discussion right away, and i doubt if i can effectively comment until this evening, but i wanted to jump in so there was some notice that the discussion isn't over.  I would like to address some of the technical concerns brought up in the comments below, both on turbines and the technology, and discuss some of the risks and how they're addressed.  i'd also like to address the discussion about wakes and energy replenishment.

We can also discuss why European offshore windpower bears little resemblance to what must take place in the rest of the world.

Und vielen Dank, J.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin