Second wind

摘要

Britain is the windiest country in Europe, as anyone who's tried to stand upright in the Outer Hebrides will tell you. But even the fiercest winds that batter moor and mountain top pale into insignificance when compared with the gales off shore, in the North Sea and the Atlantic. This is why UK waters are seen as such a fruitful location for offshore wind farms, where the wind is stronger, often less gusty and blows more reliably than on shore. As yet, however, there are comparatively few. Reversing this trend is a major concern for Julian Brown, who has become country director for UK wind at Areva, the French energy firm better known as the European supplier of reactors for the latest nuclear power stations. Areva's wind energy business concentrates on offshore, with its main product, a 5MW geared turbine incorporating a low-speed generator, designed for the offshore environment.