Wednesday 28th Nov 2018 brought us rain, wind and all sorts of chaos in the form of storm Diana, but for the UK the weather was not all bad. More renewable records were set with a high of 14.9GW, with wind turbines generating 32% of power within the national grid, pushing the gas power station off the top spot.
Things have been very positive for wind power over the last couple of years and with the figures rising and more windfarms in the pipeline, everything is looking good for wind generation in the year ahead.
Just a few short years ago, only 2% of energy was supplied by wind but that has now rocketed to 15% last year! This has spurred on new projects such as the windfarm in Cumbria which is the biggest in the UK – in fact, the biggest in the world, but not for long, with one set to open in east Yorkshire tipping the scales at 1,218MW.
Emma pinchbeck (Exec Director RenewableUK) said -
“It’s great to see British wind power setting new records at one of the coldest, darkest, wettest times of the year.”
There are many other offshore wind projects on the horizon, and although onshore windfarms are cheaper and provide more output, the government blocking them from subsidies has meant a massive decrease in them being built, a controversial decision but one that is defended by downing street.
Exciting times ahead for wind renewables, it will be interesting to see what 2019 brings!
