Artificial island in North Sea will be wind-power hub of Western Europe

http://energinet.dk/EN/ANLAEG-OG-PROJEKTER/Nyheder/Sider/Cooperation-European-Transmission-System-Operators-to-develop-North-Sea-Wind-Power-Hub.aspx
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/technik/nordsee-firmen-planen-kuenstliche-insel-fuer-windkraft-a-1141430.html



The best place for wind-power in the North-Sea is out at sea. Luckily there's a geological relic from the last Ice-Age out there, the Dogger Bank, which means the sea is only 15 m deep there.

An international alliance of wind-power companies wants to build an artificial island there by piling on sand. This island will then serve as a hub for a massive at-sea wind-power plant. It's estimated, it will be capable of supporting up to 100 million households with electricity. The island will be several square-kilometers in size and is estimated to be finished by 2035.

And because it's in the midst of the North Sea, the electricity can be distributed to several countries, which is important to balance out how much is flowing into which grid.

The companies have no doubt that this is technologically and economically feasible. They see the biggest obstacles as legal and regulatory.