RenewableUK is highlighting new statistics from National Grid ESO which show that onshore and offshore wind farms have generated a record high of 19,936 megawatts (MW) of electricity, providing more than half of Britain’s electricity.
The new record was set between 11.30am and 12 noon yesterday, beating the previous record of 19,916MW set on 25th May this year.
At the new half-hourly peak, Britain’s wind farms were generating 52.2% of the nation’s electricity. Over the course of yesterday as a whole, wind generated 50% of our power.
Although this represents a new generation record, the highest percentage of electricity generated from wind in a half-hour period is 64% on 29th January this year.
RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said “As we head towards winter, it’s reassuring for people to know that Britain’s onshore and offshore wind farms are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping the lights on and reducing our reliance on expensive gas imports.
“That’s why it’s important to speed up and scale up on the amount of onshore and offshore wind capacity were installing – to boost our energy security and to reduce electricity bills for consumers, as new wind projects generate electricity cheaper than any other source”.
