The Crown Estate's Profits From Offshore Wind Farms

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The crown estate controls large parts of central London, as well as farmland and retail parks. It's also responsible for perhaps more famously the Windsor Estate and Ascot Race Course. Included in this huge portfolio are the coastlines of England and Wales. This means that if you want to build an offshore wind farm, you effectively need to lease the sea bed rights. So think of it as paying rent to the crown.

Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent, Jillian Ambrose, about how offshore windfarms are generating record profits for the crown estate, and why King Charles has asked for the money to be used for the wider public good. She also hears from economist Guy Standing about how the seabed became a source of income for the crown and what it means for our view of the oceans as ‘commons’. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod