Why not build them at sea?

The Energy White Paper sets out the Government's vision for future electricity systems in the UK, which is envisaged as a diverse portfolio of generators, combined with energy efficiency measures, with renewables providing 40% of electricity by 2050. Within this paper on-shore wind turbines are seen as an important component of the future electricity network, and it recognises that they are already economically viable. The Government clearly anticipates that approximately half of the total contribution from the wind toward the renewables target will need to come from on-land wind developments .

Embedded, local generation is a key concept of the UK's energy strategy set out in the Energy White Paper. Building wind turbines on-shore, close to the end point of use, minimises transmission losses.

Unlike off-shore wind turbines, which have recently received £348m of Government funding, on-shore turbines are economically viable without subsidies from the taxpayer.

The need for on-shore wind turbines has been highlighted in a recent planning appeal decision (APP/F2605/A/03/1109816), where the Inspector found that Government policy supports the development of both on-shore and off-shore wind turbines.