Olivia Cavallaro Science 09.01.2022 04:Sep AM EDT

'World's Biggest Offshore Wind Farm' Hornsea 2 Now Operating to Power Millions of UK Homes

The United Kingdom is ramping up its reliance on green energy to wean itself away from Russian oil.

What is described as the "world's biggest offshore wind farm" is now fully operational, the Danish energy company Orsted announced this week. The massive offshore wind farm, which is located 55 miles or 88.5 kilometers from the coast of Yorkshire in northern England is made up of 165 turbines that are now fully operating to power more than 1.4 million homes in the UK.

Orsted said that Hornsea 2 has a capacity of over 1.3 gigawatts and spans an area of 462 square kilometers. The "world's biggest offshore wind farm" utilizes Siemens Gamesa turbines that measure up to 81 meters or over 265 feet, CNBC reported.

"One revolution of the wind turbine blades can power an average UK home for 24 hours," Orsted shared. The renewable energy source first generated its first power back in December 2021 and has now completed its latest step forward towards providing clean energy to the UK in the hopes of decreasing the country's reliance on Russian fuel and gas following Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine that began in February.

UK Looking for Sustainable Energy Sources Following Russia's War on Ukraine

When Russia launched its war against in Ukraine in February, supply chains all over the world were massively impacted, especially because of the reliance on Russian oil. Orsted's UK head Duncan Clark acknowledged how such current events highlighted the importance of "landmark renewable energy projects" such as Hornsea 2 to ensure that energy is continuously supplied to the United Kingdom while cutting down on costs for consumers by reducing their dependence on foreign fuel sources.

Fortunately for the UK, it now has a mature offshore wind sector that is ready to expand further in the coming years. In fact, leaders are now looking to achieve 50 GW of capacity by 2030. Meanwhile, the European Union, from which the UK voted to disassociate in 2022, established a 300 GW target for offshore wind by 2050.

Hornsea 2 program director Patrick Harnett told the BBC that the UK is "one of the world leaders in offshore wind."

The Race to Become the 'World's Biggest Offshore Wind Farm'

The Hornsea 2 now holds the title of the "world's biggest offshore wind farm" after taking it from the Hornsea 1. But it may not be holding the title for longas larger projects are currently under construction in the North Sea, including the Dogger Bank wind farm, which goal is to power up to six million homes when it begins operating next year.

Each of Hornsea 2's 165 wind turbines stand about 200 meters tall from sea level to the top of the 81-meter long blades. A single rotation of the wind turbine takes six seconds and can provide enough energy to power a home for up to a day. The proliferation of such wind farms in the last few years has helped bring down the cost of electricity generated by these green energy sources.

Countries that can afford it are now racing to develop and deploy alternatives to gas powered electricity generators in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While these offshore wind projects take up to five years from planning to full operation, it remains a viable solution to the current gas crisis.