ABSTRACT
By placing turbines in the sea, we can reap significantly higher levels of energy because of the strength and consistency of winds offshore. The countries around the North Sea — Denmark, the UK, Germany and others — have been the first to take advantage of offshore wind's possibilities, but there are good resources offshore from the US to China, Japan, Korea and India. Where offshore wind is developed is a function of economics, and countries need both good resources and a compelling reason to build wind power in the sea. Until 2000, growth in offshore wind was slow, with development taking place on a small number of near-shore projects in Danish and Dutch waters, with turbines of less than 1MW capacity. The UK is estimated to have over a third of Europe's offshore wind resource, and estimates give it a total theoretical potential in all waters of 120GW using only areas with water depths of less than 50m.
