Look at Cape Wind. It is a huge cost and an eco problem to anchor towers on the sea bed.

That is why mass produced floating wind, wave, and current generators all on one platform are the better option for offshore wind. Mass assembley in shipyards will allow larger machines at a cheaper price.

Assembling large wind machines onsite, offshore or on land, is problematic. Shipyards have all the equipment right there to assemble the machines and float them.

This is reminiscient of WW 2 Liberty ships. Mass produced freighters that kept the UK going until the uS could really join the war.

With a floating design like the Norsk Hydro unit, with wave generator installed around the water line, and an underwater rotor to catch tidal current power, the cost per kwh would go way down.

If problems occur later it is easy to tow these units to another location or back to the dock for rebuilding. Anchored machines are there to stay without major underwater construction work. it is dangerous near the shallow water that offshore wind towers are usually anchored in.

I believe that the new 20 mw machines rumored to be under design in Europe would be perfect for this deployment. The larger units are much easier assembled in the dock and towed into position. The larger the parts, the more difficult remote assembley and transportation of the pasrts will be, on land or sea.

The other great wind US resource area, the great plains, is an easier place to house sub assembley plants and transport the huge parts. It is nearly deserted in many northern remote areas that have really high steady winds.

It is heartening that the UK is planning to go with wind. Add wave and tidal current power and float it all Britainia. You are the great sea faring empire, it's your heritage.