Photo Gallery Wind at Sea
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to inaugurate a brand new offshore wind park off Germany's north coast next week. But the installation of gigantic offshore wind turbines has proven tricky and slow.
Following the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen (left) and Chancellor Merkel have quickly accelerated Germany's move toward increased reliance on renewable energies. It remains to be seen whether offshore wind parks can be built fast enough to meet Berlin's ambitious goals.
Whereas many of Germany's neighbors are building wind turbines in shallow water near the coastline, German regulations call for the facilities to be as far as 40 kilometers offshore -- in water that is up to 50 meters (165 feet) deep.
Some think that installing state-of-the-art wind turbines to replace aging land-based facilities could dramatically increase output. But the new wind turbines are sure to face resistance, given that they are up to 40 meters taller than older turbines.
In Great Britain, wind parks like this one off the coast of Cumbria, tend to be much closer to the shoreline than those in German waters.
By 2030, Berlin hopes to see wind park capacity rise to the equivalent of 20 nuclear power reactors.
German companies -- like Nordex AG in Rostock, pictured here -- have long been market leaders in the production of wind turbines. But competition from Asia has increased.
