A spokeswoman for the Crown Estate said the response to the licensing round had "greatly exceeded our expectations". The body, which owns parts of Regent Street as well as 55% of Britain's foreshore, traces its history back to George III, who swapped much of his land for a fixed income from the Treasury. It is independent of the monarch and the government. The interest in deep-water projects is a welcome boost for the industry, which is still hobbled by problems that ministers have endlessly promised to sort out.
The interest in deep-water projects is a welcome boost for the industry, which is still hobbled by problems that ministers have endlessly promised to sort out.
Not that this should really be 'news', given the size of Britain's wind resource - but still.
Regards Luke -- #include witty_sig.h
Britain leads the world on wind power
Britain was today declared a world leader in wind power generation, as the Government announced a major programme to cut the cost of off-shore wind farms.
The UK has overtaken Denmark to become the world's leading exponent of off-shore wind farms. The achievement has been made possible after building work finished at Centrica's Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms near Skegness.
He added: "Offshore wind is hugely important to help realise the Government's ambition to dramatically increase the amount of energy from renewable sources. Overtaking Denmark is just the start. There are already five more offshore wind farms under construction that will add a further 938 megawatts to our total by the end of next year. We are also assessing plans to increase the total by a massive 25 gigawatts in the future. That's enough electricity for every home in the country.
Thus, there is no reason to doubt the influence of the technology. While it is far more expensive than land-based installation, it is compensated by the stronger and less turbulent winds offshore, enough to make it worthwhile.
However, when offshore windpower is used to distract from the need to fill the windy land-based resources, as in the UK, then...
The UK needs them both, especially today as Brown addresses the BWEA30 meeting by video, as his government has done little to enhance the climate for onshore UK development. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
