World's largest offshore wind farm opens off Kent

Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, will open Thanet wind farm in the English Channel off Foreness Point.

The 100 turbines, each measuring more than 300ft, will power more than 200,000 homes. It will increase the amount of energy generated from offshore wind in the UK by a third to 1,314MW, compared to 1,100MW in the whole of the rest of the world.

Mr Huhne said the UK is leading the world in an exciting new technology that will cut carbon emissions and boost green jobs.

However experts are concerned that Britain is relying on a power source that must be backed up by other technologies because the wind does not blow all the time.

Thanet wind farm, built by Swedish energy giant Vattenfall, increases the number of large scale turbines off the coast of Britain to 436. There are already 2,640 on land.

Furthermore there are almost 1,000 turbines being built in the UK offshore and onshore and a further 2,300 with planning consent.