This week’s opening of the London Array marked the completion of the daunting project to build the largest offshore wind farm in the world. The decade-long venture has involved three national governments and scores of corporate contractors – but may change the way the world perceives wind energy.
With 175 colossal turbines, the London Array puts out nearly 650 megawatts of clean, consistent, and renewable power. According to the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, the wind farm will able to fully support the energy needs of more than 500,000 households across the country.
Despite stretching across roughly 20 kilometers, the London Array is comparatively inexpensive. “This project is also a real milestone on the path to cutting the cost of offshore wind," said Brent Cheshire, the U.K. Chairman for DONG Energy. "As projects get even bigger and move further offshore, we must continue to harvest the advantages of scale to bring down the costs." Additionally, Tony Cocker, the CEO for UK energy giant E.ON, added that he expects a reduction in the cost of offshore wind energy by more than 40% in the coming years, given the London Array’s state of the art technology.
Prime Minister David Cameron was present at the inauguration of the wind farm, and commented that the day represented a “big win for Britain,” and that “the UK has some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe.”
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