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23 Sep 2010: World’s Largest Wind Farm
Opens Off British Coast in the North Sea

The world’s largest wind farm, which will boost Britain’s capacity to generate wind power by more than 30 percent, opened off the coast of Kent. The Thanet wind farm, operated by the Swedish company Vattenfall, contains 100 turbines and will ultimately have 341 turbines capable of generating enough electricity for 200,000 households. The turbines, nearly 400 feet tall, are located seven miles out to sea and are spread over more than 22 square miles. Some British critics are chagrined that less than 20 percent of the 900 million pound ($1.4 billion) investment in the project is going to British firms; the single biggest contract for the Thanet farm has gone to Vestas, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer. British Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Huhne praised the project but stressed that he wanted to get the UK out of the “dunce corner” on renewable energy. He criticized the “fairly atrocious record” of the previous Labor government on renewables, which left the UK ranked 25th out of 27 nations in the European Union on renewable energy. Other EU nations are making rapid strides in developing wind energy.

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