The “world’s biggest offshore wind farm,” as characterized by the Danish energy company Orsted, is now fully operational, and its 165 turbines are expected to supply electricity to more than 1.4 million homes in the United Kingdom.
The size of Hornsea 2, which is located about 89 kilometers (about 55 miles) off the coast of Yorkshire, England, is significant.
Orsted estimates that it spans a 462 square kilometer area, more than half the size of New York City, with a power output of more than 1.3 gigawatts. Siemens Gamesa turbines with blades measuring 81 meters, or more than 265 feet, are used at Hornsea 2, it was revealed.
“One revolution of the wind turbine blades can power an average UK home for 24 hours,” the company says.
It is the latest step forward for the Hornsea 2 project, which generated its first power in Dec. 2021.
Current global events highlight more than ever the importance of landmark renewable energy projects like Hornsea 2, helping the UK increase the security and resilience of its energy supply and drive down costs for consumers by reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels.
Duncan Clark
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, European nations are attempting to wean themselves off Russian fossil products, notably gas.
“Current global events highlight more than ever the importance of landmark renewable energy projects like Hornsea 2, helping the UK increase the security and resilience of its energy supply and drive down costs for consumers by reducing dependence on expensive fossil fuels,” said Duncan Clark, head of the U.K. region at Orsted.
The offshore wind industry in the United Kingdom is established and is expected to grow in the upcoming years, with authorities aiming for up to 50 GW of capacity by 2030.
A 300 GW goal for offshore wind by the middle of this century had previously been set by the European Union, which the U.K. exited in January 2020.
To catch up to Europe across the Atlantic, the U.S. must go a considerable distance. The 30 megawatt Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, didn’t begin operating commercially until late 2016.
Change is coming, however, and in Nov. 2021 ground was broken on a project dubbed the United States’ “first commercial scale offshore wind farm.”
