Wind energy from Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity, increased by 13% in 2011 when compared like-for-like to the previous year – with a particularly windy final quarter to the year up 30% on 2010.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “There were whole months during 2011 when wind energy contributed over 10% of the Britain’s energy needs for the first time and perhaps even more during December.
“Britain has 40% of Europe’s total wind resource, so we should be making more use of this clean, indigenous energy source.
“You could say Britain is the Saudia Arabia of wind energy. Wind power gives Britain the potential to be energy independent again.”
The Gloucestershire-based company will build 19 new windmills at five sites across Britain in 2012 – increasing their total capacity by 50%. A further 78 windmills are still seeking planning approval (enough to power over 100,000 homes).
The new-build windmills will be financed using money from customer’s energy bills and also from the £10 million that Ecotricity raised through their innovative ecobonds during December.
Ecotricity expects to have over 200MW of operational windmills in the next three to five years.
About Ecotricity
Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not for dividend’ company with no outside shareholders to answer to, Ecotricity now powers over 55,000 homes and businesses in the UK from 53 windmills and one sunpark. Ecotricity invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK electricity company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.
For more information, please contact:
Stuart Brennan, Ecotricity
press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761318
