LONDON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A new model of wind turbines designed specifically for offshore operations was installed at a demonstration site off the British coast, a minister said.
British Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker attended a ceremony marking the deployment of wind turbines installed by DONG Energy and made by Siemens specifically for offshore use.
Most wind turbines installed off the British coast are variations of those used for onshore wind farms. A new generation of turbines at the Gunfleet Sands wind farm off the southeast coast "will be more cost-effective and efficient" than modified onshore turbines, the government said Thursday.
The British government has said providing more financial support for technological innovation would help the country cut the costs of offshore wind power 25 percent by 2020.
The government in August announced it was investing $100 million to stimulate the domestic wind-energy sector.
Barker said the offshore wind industry is providing energy to 2.3 million homes per year in the country. Britain has more installed wind capacity offshore than the rest of the world combined.
