Largest Wind Farm in the World Opens Off UK Coast

The world’s largest wind farm has opened off the coast of the UK. The wind farm was constructed by Swedish company Vattenfall, and could power more than 200,000 homes when running at peak power.

The Thanet wind farm sits in the North Sea, 7 miles off of the coast of the UK. The Thanet wind farm gives Britain the ability to generate 5 gigawatts of wind powered energy, which according to Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, is enough to power all the homes in Scotland.

“We are an island nation and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave and tidal resources to the maximum,” Huhne said as he officially opened the Thanet wind farm.

The Associated Press reports that Britain currently gets about 3% of its energy from renewable sources. But the plan is to raise that percentage to 15%. Britain currently ranks at 25 out of 27 European Union countries in relation to green efficiency.