We all know that fossil fuels are limited, one day they will run out, as well as that fossil fuels are getting harder to extract as the easily-accessed supplies are being drained fast. As well as this global warming, accelerated by man, is a major reason for more renewable forms of energy. So for fellow greens, good news came yesterday as the US and UK agreed to invest in floating offshore wind farms. This news came after the end of a meeting held in London on clean energy and was attended by representatives from 23 countries.
The UK has massive potential in wind farms, about one third of potential offshore wind farms in Europe are in British waters. Up until now there have been two major problems with offshore wind farms, the first is cost and the second is the difficulty of placing turbines in deep waters, which is also where the wind is fastest. The floating turbines are much less costly than those attached to sea beds as no foundation work on the sea bed is required. Repairing the turbines is also easier as the floating turbines can be brought to land to be repaired, whereas those attached to the sea bed must be repaired at sea.
The UK already has more wind turbines on in its waters than any other country in the world and the government's continued support for it makes it the most attractive market globally. The news today will make it all the more lucrative for companies, floating wind farms are already being built by Norway and Portugal. The US Department of Energy is creating four sites in American waters to help move America into the clean, green age of energy. The project in the UK is part of a wider attempt to significantly increase the amount of off-shore wind energy the UK consumes by 2020. Off-shore wind farms pose two massive benefits to the UK, firstly it's clean so pollution is lowered and the energy is not affected by fluctuating fuel prices due to a troubled Middle East.
We must sever our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly oil, otherwise we will be left behind in a new world.
The UK has massive potential in wind farms, about one third of potential offshore wind farms in Europe are in British waters. Up until now there have been two major problems with offshore wind farms, the first is cost and the second is the difficulty of placing turbines in deep waters, which is also where the wind is fastest. The floating turbines are much less costly than those attached to sea beds as no foundation work on the sea bed is required. Repairing the turbines is also easier as the floating turbines can be brought to land to be repaired, whereas those attached to the sea bed must be repaired at sea.
The UK already has more wind turbines on in its waters than any other country in the world and the government's continued support for it makes it the most attractive market globally. The news today will make it all the more lucrative for companies, floating wind farms are already being built by Norway and Portugal. The US Department of Energy is creating four sites in American waters to help move America into the clean, green age of energy. The project in the UK is part of a wider attempt to significantly increase the amount of off-shore wind energy the UK consumes by 2020. Off-shore wind farms pose two massive benefits to the UK, firstly it's clean so pollution is lowered and the energy is not affected by fluctuating fuel prices due to a troubled Middle East.
We must sever our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly oil, otherwise we will be left behind in a new world.
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