Wind farm plans to power every home

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Up to 7,000 turbines could be installed around the UK's coastline in a bid to boost the wind energy produced 30-fold by 2020.

Business Secretary John Hutton admitted the "step change" would alter the face of the waters around the country - with the equivalent of two turbines to every mile.

But he insisted that tough choices had to made made to effect the shift to low carbon power sources.

Speaking on the BBC1's Politics Show, Mr Hutton said: "There is the potential, we believe, out there, using the resources that there are around the UK to generate maybe all of the electricity that households need... from offshore wind sources."

"We should see whether we can maximise that potential because it's obviously in the nation's interest, in the world's interest for us to make sure that more of our energy comes from clean sources."

Currently just 2% of Britain's power comes from renewables, and wind is the source for less than 1 gigawatt.

By 2020 the Government hopes that it could provide around 34 gigawatts - which using current technology would mean introducing some 7,000 turbines.

Asked whether having a wind installation every half-mile around the coast was acceptable, Mr Hutton replied: "It is going to change our coastline, yes for sure. There's no way of making the shift to low carbon technology without making a change and that change being visible to people."

Mr Hutton is due formally to announce the "next stage" in the expansion of offshore wind power at a conference in Berlin.