:00:06. > :00:13.Our World. We go offshore to see if at harnessing the winner in the
:00:13. > :00:20.Asian could be the answer to our energy needs. - May the wind up.
:00:20. > :00:27.Thousands of wind turbines are rising from the sea. One of the
:00:27. > :00:37.most ambitious construction projects in the world. Britain is a
:00:37. > :00:39.
:00:39. > :00:45.pioneer. -- harnessing the wind. Everything is new. But working out
:00:45. > :00:52.at sea is much tougher than on land and the cost is much higher. It is
:00:52. > :01:00.inherently complicated. It is in a difficult environment. It is
:01:00. > :01:04.staggeringly expensive. So in the drive for carbon-free electricity,
:01:04. > :01:14.does it makes sense to turn for to the Asian for this new kind of
:01:14. > :01:22.
:01:22. > :01:32.power house. -- turned to the Asian. -- turn to the ocean. --
:01:32. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:40.powerhouse? The story begins on dry land. At the dockyards where they
:01:40. > :01:45.built the Titanic. These are components for a new wind farm.
:01:45. > :01:51.They are enormous. Before they are installed out at sea, this is our
:01:51. > :01:57.best chance to get a sense of their scale. This is the tip of one of
:01:57. > :02:03.the largest wind turbines in the world. Here in Belfast is the
:02:03. > :02:09.assembly area for a new wind farm for the Irish Sea. It is difficult
:02:09. > :02:18.to understand the scale of this project. This one played weighs 22
:02:18. > :02:27.tonnes. It is 61 metres long. It takes a while to walk to the other
:02:27. > :02:33.end. This is slightly longer than the entire wing span of a Boeing
:02:33. > :02:40.747 jumbo jet. The whole thing is made of fibreglass. It sounds
:02:40. > :02:46.pretty robust. As you can tell, the nearer we get to this end, the
:02:46. > :02:51.thicker and more robust the whole structure becomes. You can imagine
:02:51. > :02:56.the kind of stresses and strains of this would experience, buffeted out
:02:56. > :03:02.in the ocean. We have made it to the end. How do they fit these on
:03:02. > :03:09.to the hub? This one has three plates fitted all ready. It is
:03:09. > :03:17.about to be loaded on to a ship. Let me show you how they fit it.
:03:17. > :03:27.The key is these: 128 of these massive bolts fitted in a ring to
:03:27. > :03:28.
:03:28. > :03:34.hold the blade inside here. When each plate is fitted, eight
:03:34. > :03:43.delicate manoeuvre followers. Moving them takes real care. --
:03:43. > :03:48.follows. Everything is controlled from a tiny cab with a bird's-eye
:03:48. > :03:54.view. The little red bubble is where the driver sits. Robert
:03:54. > :04:02.Childs has one of the strangers jobs. Inside the crane, a staircase
:04:02. > :04:07.leads him to the controls. He ends up suspended high above the ground.
:04:07. > :04:17.I joined him inside. It is cramped. The next stage of the work is about
:04:17. > :04:19.
:04:19. > :04:29.to begin. How high are we? 100m. are right above these slender
:04:29. > :04:30.
:04:30. > :04:39.plates. You a lifting them around. How difficult is that? They are bit
:04:39. > :04:48.lighter. So why we rely a lot on the ground crew to keep them as
:04:48. > :04:54.steady as possible. How tense is that for you? It is nerve-racking.
:04:54. > :05:04.There is a lot of pressure. They are not something you want to
:05:04. > :05:07.
:05:07. > :05:14.bounce about. Inch by inch, the Blades a lifted off the ground.
:05:14. > :05:24.Their immense size takes getting used to. -- plates. This is cutting
:05:24. > :05:33.
:05:33. > :05:41.edge technology. But it still needs Brits strength. -- bldes. --brute.
:05:42. > :05:49.-- blades. The giant crane moves along the tracks, carrying its
:05:49. > :05:52.Precious cargo. This is the process speeded up. Each wind farm is built
:05:52. > :06:01.slightly differently. New technologies and techniques are
:06:01. > :06:06.being tried out all the time. a new industry and we learn from
:06:06. > :06:12.everything we do. That is the key that anybody coming on to the
:06:12. > :06:16.project has the ability to suggest a new way of doing things. We are
:06:16. > :06:26.open to suggestions by people working on the project, even people
:06:26. > :06:27.
:06:27. > :06:35.at home watching this. The final stage of loading. Britain has more
:06:35. > :06:39.offshore wind installations than any other country, but deter mines
:06:39. > :06:49.-- but the Tote odds here are German, and the power company
:06:49. > :06:51.
:06:51. > :07:01.behind the project it is Swedish. - - but deterred bines here. -- the
:07:01. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:11.turbines here. But how reliable are these? It will be interesting to
:07:11. > :07:16.see if these breakdowns a single events or a pattern. We may have to
:07:16. > :07:23.change the equipment every eight use. That would seriously dampen
:07:23. > :07:33.the expansion of offshore wind turbines. The barge is towed very
:07:33. > :07:37.
:07:37. > :07:44.cautiously offshore. About junior art to see is much faster. -- our
:07:44. > :07:51.journey out to sea. We travel by high-speed catamaran. The crew know
:07:51. > :07:54.the route well. It takes us past wind farms already built. Out at
:07:54. > :08:00.the site, one of the biggest challenges is fixing the
:08:00. > :08:05.foundations. 1 wind farm starters subsiding. At this want they
:08:05. > :08:14.hammered the legs 40m deep into the ocean floor. It is all more
:08:14. > :08:19.difficult than on land. There are still many unknowns. We are still
:08:19. > :08:26.in the early stages of the industry. The foundations are expensive but
:08:26. > :08:29.will most likely reduce in costing coming years. But you also have the
:08:29. > :08:36.operations, using vessels to get to deter mines, are very expensive
:08:36. > :08:46.installation vessel. All of these costs are not included in the
:08:46. > :08:53.
:08:53. > :09:03.onshore wind farms. -- to get to the turn binds. -- Tobias. --
:09:03. > :09:07.turbines. Some experts say offshore wind is not affordable. Offshore
:09:07. > :09:14.wind is an expensive and difficult way of reducing carbon emissions.
:09:14. > :09:18.There are better and cheaper ways. Climate change is not something we
:09:18. > :09:23.can the experiment for, building an almost projects offshore. Climate
:09:23. > :09:27.change is something urgent which requires us to do something quickly.
:09:27. > :09:33.To choose one of the most expensive ways to reduce those admissions,
:09:33. > :09:41.rather than using cheaper, more direct routes, is a luxury that
:09:41. > :09:46.consumers and the planet cannot afford. This wind farm cost about
:09:46. > :09:50.�500 million. Quite a price tag. But the industry says it is worth
:09:50. > :09:55.it and that future projects will be cheaper stop you there we are
:09:55. > :10:00.confident that the cost will fall significantly in the next 10 or 20
:10:00. > :10:06.years. People are worried about the rise in their power bills. Then on
:10:06. > :10:11.top of that, the extra cost of going Greens. But you must
:10:11. > :10:16.understand the alternatives to not investing in renewable energy. That
:10:16. > :10:22.will be a world that cannot tackle climate change and all that means.
:10:22. > :10:28.As we draw near, the sea Jack is still down at sea level ready for
:10:28. > :10:33.us to climb aboard. One of the trickiest things is getting from
:10:33. > :10:43.one vessel to another. Here we are lucky. We can use this ladder. And
:10:43. > :11:06.
:11:06. > :11:15.The ECJ crisis as soon as we are on. Bundles of cables start to moves. -
:11:15. > :11:24.- sea jack. As you can see in this time-lapse footage, it rises in the
:11:24. > :11:34.water, standing on its lakes with us on it. -- legs. What happens
:11:34. > :11:42.now? The power is about to be assembled. This is the lower
:11:42. > :11:52.section, waiting for it is a team of technicians, dwarfed by the size
:11:52. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:06.of it. The tower needs to be lined up exactly. The giant tube is
:12:06. > :12:09.rotated very gingerly. Eventually, a particular pin is guided by hand
:12:09. > :12:15.into the right place and the section can be lowered into its
:12:15. > :12:25.final position. The operation is masterminded from the bridge. At
:12:25. > :12:39.
:12:39. > :12:46.the high-tech control room, the captain keeps watch. Have you have
:12:46. > :12:56.been through some pretty big storms? Yes, we were lucky to get
:12:56. > :13:06.
:13:06. > :13:09.out. The day wears on. The tower is ready, but there is still a lot to
:13:09. > :13:12.do. The next essential component is raised into place. Each component
:13:12. > :13:15.has to be carefully lifted into place and now it is the turn of the
:13:15. > :13:19.giant box that contains the gearbox, the generator and the control
:13:19. > :13:22.system that will sit up at the top of the turbine. A very delicate
:13:22. > :13:32.operation and all been done by the crane driver in that little blue
:13:32. > :13:40.
:13:40. > :13:43.cabin. If you look down below, you can see this great turntable. The
:13:43. > :13:51.whole crane can pivot in any direction, right in the middle of
:13:51. > :14:01.the ship. It gives it extraordinary flexibility. A little bit higher,
:14:01. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:09.inch by inch. Look where it has to get to - past the crane and up to
:14:09. > :14:19.be very top of the tower. One of the specialists is waiting to greet
:14:19. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:28.it. An extraordinary operation, but it is not over yet. It is high
:14:28. > :14:35.summer and at about 9 o'clock, dusk has fallen. The construction site
:14:35. > :14:44.is bathed in floodlight. The final stage of the work is just getting
:14:44. > :14:54.under way. It is late evening, but the work just keeps going as they
:14:54. > :14:54.
:14:54. > :14:58.enter a critical stage - lifting the giant set of blades of the deck.
:14:58. > :15:06.They are now angling this huge rota so it is in the right position to
:15:06. > :15:09.be hoisted right up and fitted to the very top of the tower. In the
:15:09. > :15:18.dark, up at the summit, a face appears. A giant shadow is
:15:18. > :15:28.approaching. The voices over the radio remain calm. The wind picks
:15:28. > :15:30.
:15:30. > :15:34.up slightly. This is now the greatest danger. Down on deck, a
:15:34. > :15:37.team clutches the tip of a blade. It has to be kept from hitting
:15:37. > :15:43.anything. It is a moment of maximum tension. Attach it to your right.
:15:43. > :15:53.Really slow. Gradually, the harbour get closer to its destination and
:15:53. > :15:58.
:15:58. > :16:01.then it is fitted. Just before midnight the job is done. Just
:16:01. > :16:08.after dawn, the seajack has been lowered and it is time for us to
:16:09. > :16:18.leave. The barge is heading back to Belfast for another load of
:16:19. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:30.components. There is one more leg of our journey to come. The wind
:16:30. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :16:38.farm is almost complete. Work boats cluster around the towers. The
:16:38. > :16:41.turbines are being connected to be grid. Each one should generate five
:16:41. > :16:44.megawatts of electricity, a lot more than most, but still, you
:16:44. > :16:54.would need 200 of them to match the output of a conventional power
:16:54. > :16:55.
:16:56. > :17:04.station. Getting onto one is not easy. It involves the same
:17:04. > :17:14.elaborate procedure we went through to board the seajack. 1, 2, 3,4,
:17:14. > :17:27.
:17:27. > :17:30.5.... This is the moment our ascent begins and we have to try to get
:17:31. > :17:38.right up to the top there, up to those blades. Apparently, we can
:17:38. > :17:42.get up onto the roof and have a look. This is the way we will do it
:17:42. > :17:45.- through this huge door at the base of the tower. It is a bit like
:17:45. > :17:55.entering a submarine or a ship. Here goes. With one of the longest
:17:55. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:07.ladders in history, I'm sure. There is a lift, I could have used it,
:18:07. > :18:10.but we thought for the authentic wind turbine experience, and also
:18:10. > :18:15.to show you how ridiculously big these things are, it would be
:18:15. > :18:23.better if I went through the ordeal of the long haul to the top. Inside,
:18:23. > :18:26.it's a very long journey to the top. I am hooked on for safety, but the
:18:26. > :18:34.technicians who work in here have to be specially trained and they
:18:34. > :18:43.need a head for heights. Up top, we have reached the key mechanisms,
:18:43. > :18:53.just behind the blades. There is one more stage to go. So, this is
:18:53. > :19:03.
:19:03. > :19:06.the final stage of the journey to the top. First impression, it is an
:19:06. > :19:09.incredible view. The sun has come out, the sea is glistening. Look at
:19:09. > :19:16.the size of that one blade, stretching right up against the
:19:16. > :19:19.blue sky. Now, all of these are immobile at the moment because they
:19:19. > :19:29.are not yet commissioned, but they soon will be benefiting from the
:19:29. > :19:38.
:19:38. > :19:41.beautiful breeze, out here at sea. This wind farm should generate the
:19:41. > :19:45.power needed for 100,000 homes, but only when the wind spins all of its
:19:45. > :19:53.30 turbines. Britain is committed to getting a quarter of its
:19:53. > :20:02.electricity from onshore turbine by 2020. Germany, Denmark and Holland
:20:02. > :20:09.also have serious plans for wind farms at sea. But will this catch
:20:09. > :20:17.on globally? Maybe not. In some parts of Asia we do find good
:20:18. > :20:21.conditions and some countries are experimenting in offshore wind. We
:20:21. > :20:31.also have to think about the areas where there are hurricanes and lots
:20:31. > :20:45.
:20:45. > :20:51.of storms. There are no indications of a global spread. One aim is to
:20:51. > :21:01.get electricity without producing greenhouse gas. Another is to
:21:01. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:13.become less dependent on fuel from abroad. It is great that it is home
:21:13. > :21:15.
:21:15. > :21:25.grown electricity. But it must make sense to use this instead of buying
:21:25. > :21:30.