Up to 7,000 wind turbines could be built off the coast, according to Government plans unveiled. The £ 80 bn proposal would see the equivalent of two turbines going up every day until 2020, making it one of the biggest engineering projects in recent history.
Ministers said the plans -- which include a massive wind farm a few miles off the World Heritage "Jurassic Coast" in Dorset -- were essential to meet EU green energy targets. But critics warned that the scheme was over ambitious and that Britain was in danger of becoming too reliant on wind. There are also concerns that some of the turbines could rise hundreds of feet in the air only six miles offshore and spoil sea views.

Britain already has seven sea farms producing up to half a gigawatt (GW) of electricity. In total, the UK has 2,032 turbines on and offshore, producing up to 2.5 GW. Another five offshore farms are under construction, while a further 159 onshore and 14 offshore farms have been approved.
The extra 7,000 wind turbines would treble the capacity of Britain's wind farms to 33 GW -- enough for 20 mm homes. By comparison, Britain's existing coal, gas, nuclear and hydroelectric power stations can produce up to 75 GW.

Eleven potential sites were named by the Crown Estate, which owns the sea bed around the UK, after a study of geology, wind strengths and shipping lanes. They include one ten miles off the Dorset and South Devon coast, between Dartmouth and Weymouth, and others off East Sussex, Cardigan Bay in Wales, the Irish Sea off Cumbria and the North Sea off Norfolk. Energy firms will bid to build the turbines, which rise 300 ft above sea level and usually stand in water less than 100 ft deep.
A Crown Estate spokesman said: "They are not likely to be visible from the shore. These sites are purely indicative. An environmental assessment still has to be done."

Over a year, a typical wind turbine works at around 35 % of its capacity, averaging out the times when it is at full power against calmperiods when it is idle. The Renewable Energy Foundation, which argues against land wind farms, warned that calm days could lead to blackouts if the UK was too dependent on wind power.
Engineer Michael Laughton, of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "If you have a huge low pressure in winter, when demand is high, you won't get enough power."

The EU says Britain must source 15 % of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020. But some experts say we will really need to achieve a figure of 40 %.
Approval for the new sites is unlikely to be given before 2009, allowing building to start in 2010. Half the pre-construction costs of the farms would be met by the Crown Estate.

Wind power in the UK: Facts and figures
-- The UK has 2,032 wind turbines on land and at sea, producing up to 2.5 GW of electricity.
-- If every turbine worked at full capacity, that's enough electricity for 1.4 mm homes.
-- Another 159 onshore and 14 offshore wind farms have been approved which will add another 6.5 GW.
-- The new round of offshore turbines will bring the total capacity to 33 GW -- enough, in theory, for more than 20 mm homes.
-- Britain's existing coal, gas, nuclear and hydroelectric power stations can produce up to 75 GW of electricity.
-- To meet EU targets, around 40 % of electricity -- or 30 GW -- will need to come from renewables by 2020.
-- A typical offshore wind turbine rises 300 feet above the water. It is usually built in water less than 100 feet deep.
-- The Crown Estate estimates that the new round of offshore turbines will cost £ 80 bn.
-- Some could be six miles from the shore. However, the Crown Estate says they will not be intrusive.
-- Critics of wind turbines complain that they are unsightly, unreliable and cannot meet peak surges in electricity demand.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk