Want to take a look at the shoreline?
"World’s largest offshore wind farm opens" by Associated Press | September 24, 2010
LONDON — The world’s largest offshore wind farm opened off the southeast coast of England yesterday, as part of the British government’s push to boost renewable energy....
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LONDON — Despite growing opposition from citizens, nature conservation trusts, and local lawmakers, the government continues to push for more wind farms across the country....
That's how revolutions begin.
In a giant leap toward meeting the European Union target, Britain recently opened the world’s largest offshore wind turbine farm in the North Sea off Thanet, at the southeast tip of England.
Operated by Vattenfall, a Swedish energy company, it has 100 turbines spreading over 13.5 square miles, with a capacity to power more than 200,000 homes.
Vattenfall’s turbines raised Britain’s wind-power-generating capacity to five gigawatts, enough to power every home in Scotland, the government said. Chris Huhne, Britain’s energy secretary, said the country was “in a unique position to become a world leader in this industry.’’
“We are an island nation, and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave, and tidal resources to the maximum,’’ Huhne said.
Indeed, despite the renewable sector’s lowly ranking in percentage terms, Britain now generates more energy from offshore wind turbines than any other European country, according to the government.
With a height of 377 feet, or 115 meters, Vattenfall’s turbines are visible from the coast in Kent. Unlike onshore wind farms, however, they have attracted few objections from local villagers. As a result, the government has recently started to focus more on offshore than onshore wind farms, even though they tend to be more expensive to build.
Listening to the people?
Related: Whispering Away in Maine
Not here in AmeriKa.
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Related: Cape Wind Clean Up
Also see: Cape Wind backers blew right by cost
Can they see the oil platforms from the coast, too?
"Chevron gets OK to drill off UK coast; Greenpeace will fight other permits" by Jane Wardell, Associated Press | October 2, 2010
LONDON — Britain has granted Chevron Corp. a permit for the first new deepwater drilling project in UK waters since the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, brushing aside calls for a US-style moratorium on new offshore drilling....
Greenpeace, which ended a three-day blockade of the project this week after losing a court battle with Chevron, attacked the decision as bizarre....
Can't oil and wind live together?
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