UK wind generation exceeds 5GW

The UK generated a record of more than 5GW of energy from wind power, according to National Grid. The new high was reached on Sunday, with 5058MW of wind generated […]

The UK generated a record of more than 5GW of energy from wind power, according to National Grid.

The new high was reached on Sunday, with 5058MW of wind generated on the system between 11.00 and 11.30 AM. It made up more than 12% of the nation’s electricity needs, which is enough to power more than 10 million UK households.

Renewable groups championed the news, which they said proves Britain is generating an “increasingly significant” amount of clean electricity from wind.

Maf Smith, Deputy Chief Executive at RenewableUK said: “The quantity of low-carbon energy that wind is feeding into the grid is continuing to surge upwards… As well as creating tens of thousands of green-collar jobs and the wider environmental benefits, wind gives us another very important advantage – energy security.

“The UK can take control of the way we generate our power by using a secure, natural, local source of energy rather than relying on imports of expensive fossil fuels from unstable parts of the world. Wind as a crucial part of our energy mix and is becoming more important as extra onshore and offshore capacity is added to the system.”

The UK aims to generate 15% of the nation’s energy demand from renewable sources by 2020.

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