The government will invest 160 million pounds
($208 million) in ports and factories to support
production of the next generation of wind
turbines, Johnson said. That is a tiny fraction
of what it will cost to reach his goal, as the U.K.
currently gets about one-sixth of its electricity
from wind, or enough to power 18.1 million
homes, according to statistics from renewableUK,
an industry association.
Johnson pledged to back a wide range of wind
power projects, including “windmills that float on the
sea,” and sought to portray himself as a visionary.
“You heard me right,” he said. “Your kettle, your
washing machine, your cooker, your heating,
your plug-in electric vehicle — the whole lot of
them will get their juice cleanly and without guilt
from the breezes that blow around these islands.”