LONDON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the race to prove Britain can lead the world in wind energy development has begun.
Clegg joined Secretary for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey at a ceremony to open the Lincs offshore wind farm near Lincolnshire, near the northeast coast.
Lincs was built through a joint venture between British energy company Centrica and offshore wind energy company DONG Energy.
Clegg said the official opening marked the beginning of a wind energy revolution in Britain.
"The race is now on to lead the world in clean, green energy," he said in a statement.
The last of the 75 turbines at the Lincs offshore wind farm was connected to the grid last week. The facility can provide 270 megawatts of energy, enough for more than 200,000 homes, at full capacity.
The British government announced Thursday it was investing $100 million to stimulate the domestic wind-energy sector. Britain has more installed wind capacity offshore than the rest of the world combined, though most of the infrastructure is manufactured elsewhere.
A 77-page report said the offshore wind sector could support more than 30,000 full-time jobs by 2020. It said the European Union combined is expected to have 55 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity installed by 2030.
