London Array becomes world's largest windfarm as last turbine comes online

[bananas]

Source: Guardian

The UK's wind power industry has restated its pledge to drive down the cost of energy, as it pushed the button on the last of the 175 turbines at the world's largest offshore wind farm.

The London Array project, jointly owned by Dong Energy, Masdar and EON, yesterday annouced that the first 630MW phase of the project in the Thames estuary is now fully operational.

"This is the final major milestone of the construction phase and the culmination of more than two years' offshore construction work which began in March 2011 with the installation of the first foundation," said London Array project director Richard Rigg.

The annoucement comes just six months after London Array powered up the first Siemens 3.6MW turbine at the site. The development team will now spend the next few months finalising the development, including work to bury a number of shallow array cables.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/09/london-array-world-largest-windfarm

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[dipsydoodle]

1. Not sure why they say the estuary

Its in the North Sea.

[Swede Atlanta]

2. I agree with you...it is too far out to be in the estuary....

The bottom line is they are harnessing renewable sources of energy. If we took advantage of even a small % of the wind energy potential in this country we could be generating most of our electricity from renewables within 10 years.

I grew up in the inter-mountain west where it blew all the time. And I don't mean a little breeze. It blew constantly and usually not just 5 mph but stronger than that. Why not harness that energy? Why?

Because the energy companies know that once you make the investment in the infrastructure, the only real costs thereafter are maintenance and then any related costs such as are they leasing rights from others in the form of an easement that is on a pay-as-you-go basis, etc. But the actual energy itself is largely free. It is maintenance, these related costs and then the cost to transport the energy to the national grid.

I would suggest that they should be clamoring for this. They have some initial sunk costs, some ongoing maintenance and "transport" costs. The rest would be pure profit.

[Myrina]

3. Meanwhile, a county in Indiana, declines additional turbines ...

.... because, well, we're stupid like that.

http://www.wthr.com/story/21920348/tipton-county-declares-moratorium-on-new-wind-farms

[octothorpe]

4. Oh great, the Brits are going to use up all of our planet's wind. Greedy bastards. SAVE THE WIND NOW