Wind could provide an estimated 40 percent to 60 percent of demand in the waters around the United Kingdom, particularly off the northern Scottish coast.
If the full offshore wind-power potential were harnessed, according to the European Wind Energy Association, offshore wind could provide up to 150 gigawatts of electricity to Europe, though there is currently just 1 GW installed.
In Britain, there are 300 megawatts of offshore power operational, 350 megawatts under construction and 300 megawatts approved and in development, said Iain Todd, Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group, United Kingdom.
But in Britain, the wind industry is awaiting rules from the government on new renewable obligations. Under the new obligations, offshore wind may receive more funding aid through credits than onshore, but the industry is concerned some of that additional money may take away from onshore wind.
'We`re awaiting signal from the government on financial support (for offshore wind),' Todd said.
Despite the lack of decision, there are several large projects under way, including the Beatrice project in Scotland. Talisman Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy are planning the 10 megawatt project that will be the largest in European waters, as well as the deepest and farthest offshore.
The two 5 MW REpower turbines are positioned about 14 miles from the coast and in water about 148 feet deep. The pilot project costs about $47.5 million. Scotland also has a project in Aberdeen that has 23 turbines.
Spain has no projects in the construction phase, but in the last year there has been a clear political decision to support offshore research and development, said Felix Avia, of CENER, Spain.
As opposed to places such as Germany and Britain, Spain still has many untapped onshore wind resources. But, Avia said, officials are planning 31 projects and expect at least a few to be under way in the near future.
In Germany, a leader in European wind, WPD has seven offshore projects in various stages, said Gernot Blanke, WPD, Germany. In the Baltic Sea, there is the Baltic I Project. It was approved in April 2006 but is still in planning stages. The 60 MW project is about 8 miles offshore and 49 to 62 feet deep.
The second area WPD is developing is called Kriegers Flak, also in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Sweden. On the German side, there is Kriegers Flak I for which the foundation has been laid; with 80 turbines it is expected to generate 400 MW.
On the Swedish side, there`s Kriegers Flak II, which is expected to generate 640 MW and Kriegers Flak III on the Danish side. The Kriegers Flak area could potentially generate up to 1.5 GW.
A major problem with offshore wind is that there are no regulations in place for anything that exceeds 12 nautical miles away from shore. There are also problems regarding helicopter flight paths, shipping lanes, airport and military radar and bird migratory paths. These issues are similar to the ones being faced in the budding U.S. offshore wind industry.
Being the first international offshore wind farm, Kriegers Flak is likely to raise a number of questions about grid connections and transmission lines once it is complete. European Commission officials expressed concern that they need to be sure one country isn`t paying for the others` electricity.
The other major problem that is still being grappled with is environmental impact. Though preliminary studies have shown there is minimal impact to undersea wildlife and environment, in-depth studies have not been conducted yet, said Jens Bomer, of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Though risks may be mitigated, it is hard to set real targets until those studies are done and there is policy in place.
