In a time when energy dependency on foreign countries is straining domestic politics around the world, many countries are looking to offshore wind farms as a possibility. Great Britain and the United States are just two of those countries investing money and time into researching the option of using wind generated power to supplement their countries’ power consumption.

Wind farms are housed both onshore and offshore. Off shore wind farms are a relatively new occurrence with the largest being off the coast of Scotland. The turbines are placed in rows along the ocean floor in shallow waters close to shore. California’s central valley has been home to wind farms for almost 30 years. The wind generated in the central valley is fed into the public energy grid. Because wind is an intermittent energy source it is often used as an energy supplement.

The United Kingdom has taken steps to map a future powered by off shore wind farms. The shelved sea floor off the coast of Great Britain is ideal for the placement of turbines. Massive off shore wind farms have not been built in the U.S. yet. However, the topography of the ocean floor surrounding the United States might be a limiting factor. Gigantic underwater canyons and steep drops will be keeping wind farms off of the U.S. pacific coast.

Offshore wind farms are attractive mainly because of the weather conditions produced by the ocean. Strong winds are regularly experienced, larger turbines can be installed and so more energy can be produced. On shore wind farms are also attractive for midland states like Montana and Kentucky where winds howl off the plains.

The cost of turbines seems to be a sticking point for those selling the technology. Although the turbines pay themselves off faster than any other source of energy infrastructure, there is still apprehension at investing such a large sum in a still developing technology. Even without complete support, wind power has a yearly production of more than 100 billion kilowatt hours worldwide.

Interest in wind power is global. Denmark, Australia, India and even Morocco already have wind farms generating portions of their countries power. Many experts in alternative fuels believe that wind power will be an excellent option for fostering independence in developing nations.

The world is finally seeing major movement with alternative energy solutions with new U.S. President Obama. More money is going to be allocated to funding alternative energy projects and many jobs will be created. Wind energy will generate almost 5 jobs for every 1 mega watt of energy installed through wind farms.

Is wind electricity the way for everyone to be electricity self sufficient? Many parts of the country have enough reliable wind to generate enough electricity to serve everyones needs.