U.K. takes the lead in offshore wind

The largest offshore wind farm in the world sits beside 60 other turbines, a sign of Great Britain's position in the wind sector, a secretary said. British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey inaugurated a 102-turbine wind farm off the Cumbrian coast. As the world's largest, it can produce enough electricity to meet the energy demands of 320,000 homes. Davey noted the Cumbrian wind farm sits alongside 60 turbines that are already generating electricity. "Britain has a lot to be proud of in our growing offshore wind sector," he said in a statement. "Our island's tremendous natural resource, our research base and a proud history of engineering make this the number one destination for investment in offshore wind." The country set a goal of having 18 GW of offshore wind power installed by the end of the decade. DONG Energy, the majority shareholder in the joint venture behind the project, said it has 1 gigawatt of offshore wind on line or under construction in the region. DONG noted it broke a record for installation, getting the wind farm, Walney 2, installed in 5 months and 13 days. The turbines were manufactured by German engineering company Siemens.