The development of offshore wind power has become a pressing modern energy issue in which the UK is taking a major part, driven by the need to find new electrical power sources, and avoiding the use of fossil fuels, in the knowledge of the extensive wind resource available around our islands and the fact that the environmental impact of offshore wind farms is likely to be low. However, there are major problems to solve if offshore wind power is to be realised and these revolve around the need to capture this energy at a cost per kWh which is competitive with other practicable sources. This...