The UK just set a landmark wind energy generation record

The UK’s onshore and offshore wind farms generated more than 20 gigawatts (GW) for the first time yesterday, setting a new record, according to National Grid ESO.

Renewables trade association RenewableUK reports today that it’s the second wind energy generation record to be set within the space of a week.

UK wind generation set the record during the half-hour period from noon to 12:30 p.m., when it reached 20,896 megawatts (MW) – providing an impressive 53% of the UK’s electricity.

And in more good news, National Grid ESO reported that yesterday, wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, and storage – all low emissions sources – provided 70% of the UK’s electricity overall.

Yesterday’s wind generation record broke the previous record set just a week earlier, on October 26 between 11:30 a.m. and noon, when it reached 19,936 GW.

It’s welcome news as the UK heads into winter and faces a natural gas supply crunch following Russia’s supply cut following its invasion of Ukraine.

RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail said:

Generating more than 20 GW of electricity for the first time represents a new milestone for wind energy in Britain. The fact that we’ve smashed the last record within the space of a week shows that wind is consistently generating vast amounts of clean power and becoming the backbone of our modern energy system.

This benefits hard-pressed bill payers too, because wind has become the UK’s cheapest source of new power. It’s also strengthening our energy security at a time when generating our own electricity from home-grown sources has become vitally important.

Although the latest statistics reflect a new electricity generation record, the highest percentage of electricity generated from wind in a half-hour period in the UK is 64% on January 29, 2022.

Read more: Check out London’s new electric tram-buses that charge in only 10 minutes

Photo: “Early Morning Cornwall” by Tony Armstrong-Sly is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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