How the UK is leading the way with offshore wind farms

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Amid a current cost of living crisis where energy bills are rising exponentially, organisations across the UK are looking at ways we can create renewable energy that is less dramatically impacted by political and social events.

One key outlet for this is offshore wind farms. Why is the UK so pioneering? We look into the topic of renewable energy sources below.

Fundamentally, what are offshore wind farms?

Offshore wind farms are exactly that – wind farms that sit on large bodies of water such as the sea. Normally, offshore wind farms generate more electricity than on land, as conditions tend to be windier on water.

As offshore wind farms use the wind to generate energy, they are widely accepted as a clean, renewable energy source compared to traditional energy sources such as coal, gas, oil and nuclear energy.

Why is the UK investing in wind farms?

As well as providing a greener future for generations to come, wind farms are also highly practical. At a time when UK households are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and energy bills are skyrocketing, wind farms come into their own. As wind farms generate electricity independent of the energy markets, they are a great way to beat soaring electricity prices.

This is partly why the UK is investing in both offshore and onshore wind farms now the ban on onshore ones has been lifted.

Can the UK rely solely on wind power?

Although energy transition law firms and companies are working hard to ensure we can eventually rely solely on green power sources, we are not quite there yet.

Despite making big strides to go green in recent years, the UK is trailing behind other countries such as China, the US, Germany, India and Spain.

There is plenty of wind to go around (in no small part thanks to our changeable weather), one of the main reasons we cannot solely rely on wind power alone is because of storage. Last year, we wasted a significant amount of energy as we do not have the infrastructure to store it appropriately.

Until we have the storage in place, we will struggle to rely solely on renewable energy sources.

Final thoughts…

Although we might not be there yet, the UK is well on the way to becoming a world leader in offshore wind farms. Driven by high energy prices and a demand for renewable energy, we are seeing a vast increase in the number of offshore wind farms providing our homes with green electricity.

Over the next few years, as we invest more heavily in the wind farms themselves and storage capacity, only time will tell us if we can make the switch to wholly renewable energy sources.

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