1. Marco Williams, Lauren Radford, Greer Taylor, Lucy Woods, Mollie Winning, Blane Barton and Thompson Taylor

2. How wind turbines work: the energy from the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to a main shaft which spins a generator to create electricity, the turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the maximum amount of energy possible.

3. The UK has been the world leader in offshore wind energy since 2008. The offshore wind farm at Thanet, Kent has 100 wind turbines and is one of the worlds largest wind farms. The offshore wind farm at London Array has 175 wind turbines and is the largest operational offshore wind farm in the world and was opened by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013. There are also plans for Navitus Bay to build up to 218 turbines off Dorset and Hampshire and 160 turbines in Gwynt y Mor each with a capacity of 3.6MW

4.  Power from the 100 wind turbines at full power is enough to power 50% of Kent  There is more space offshore so there is the potential to build more turbines  Wind supply is freely available and secure so there is no risk of conflict over energy supply  There is no environmental damaged caused when the turbines are taken down  The total offshore generating capacity in UK waters provides around 8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually - equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 2 million homes

5.  Wind is renewable so environmental impacts are minimised  The manufacturing, installing, operating and maintenance of the wind turbines creates jobs for local residents near the offshore wind farms  Offshore turbines are less audible and visible than onshore wind  The UK has 1,075 offshore turbines so has already invested heavily in the renewable, therefore it makes sense to continue the development of this energy source  The UK has 40% of Europe’s wind due to its position in the North West of Europe where it bears the full brunt of weather systems coming in from the North Atlantic.

6.  The Thanet offshore wind farm cost £780 million to build, it was also heavily subsidised.  Currently wind energy only accounts for 2.5% of energy in the UK.  Wind as a source of energy is intermittent and therefore unreliable – other sources would be needed as an alternative plan.  Due to the high cost of the wind farms, other renewable sources are sacrificed.  Offshore wind costs 50% more than onshore wind.

7.  The Ministry of Defence have objected to heavy usage of offshore wind farms on the grounds that they could interfere with radar and pose a threat to national security.  It is very difficult to store the energy harnessed from wind turbines, meaning if there is a surplus of energy there is no way of saving it for a time when there is a shortage  Offshore wind is still in the early stages of its development, there may prove to be better sources of renewable energy or a problem further down the line with this source

8.  Government investment of £20 million to improve the UK’s wind industry’s supply chain and £46 million to join up innovation between industry, government and academia to help companies to bring new products into the market  Potential to create 30,000 jobs and contribute £7 billion to the economy by 2020  A Offshore Wind Investment Organisation to attract inward investment to the UK  ECN developed an advanced control system that adjusts wind turbine blades, making it possible to construct larger turbines which generate up to 13% more energy

9. To conclude, the UK has already invested heavily into the offshore wind industry, therefore it is more economically viable to continue investment into this renewable so that previous expenditure isn’t wasted. Additionally, as the wind farms are located and controlled in the UK, it increases energy security making future threats of depleting energy sources less likely. Also, as wind energy is a renewable, it will contribute very little to climate change (only the construction of the turbines and transport of materials will contribute).