Across the pond,  the United Kingdom hopes to build 7,000 new offshore turbines to help meet its commitment to the European Union to get 15 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020. The UK subsidizes wind energy development as part of its Renewables Obligation program, which is variously criticized as overly generous, and hamstrung by approval hold ups and the inadequacy of the grid.

You’ll recall that Royal Dutch Shell recently backed out of what would have been a massive offshore project in the UK, citing high costs. In this latest initiative, Her Royal Majesty et al. will pay half the tab for securing planning approval. Is that enough to draw developers?

Here at home, America’s first offshore wind farm may drop anchor near Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While the proposed 400-megawatt, 150-turbine project hasn’t yet secured regulatory approval, Delmarva Power has agreed to buy up to 200 MW of the installation’s output from developer Bluewater Wind. The Earth2Tech blog offers a smart brief on the project and the difficulties faced by offshore wind developers and enthusiasts. Be sure to watch the Daily Show clip at the end of the Earth2Tech post. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

According to Bluewater, the Rehoboth Beach turbines will be located at least 11 miles offshore. To address concerns about the scenic impact, Bluewater prepared a series of “wind park visualizations.” Well of course it’s PR, but I’d still rather see a bunch of far-off wind turbines than a parade of oil tankers during my day at the beach.

Closer to my home,  German manufacturer of offshore turbines, Multibrid GmbH, is eyeing Ontario as the site for its first North American factory. The Great Lakes have mad wind and shallow waters (but no turbines in the water yet) and Ontario has the same sort of supply, manufacturing, and transport synergies that have made Colorado a hub for the support of wind power development west of the Mississippi. To help assure Multibrid of future orders, developer Trillium Power quickly announced a buyer’s consortium of itself and New Jersey’s Fishermen’s Energy. Hey, a consortium has to start somewhere.