Britain’s dependence on wind power is growing from strength to strength, according to figures recently issued by the National Grid.
The statistics, which have been detailed on the Renewable UK website, indicate that wind power reached record levels in the UK in 2015, and that 11% of the UK’s electricity was produced from onshore and offshore wind power sources last year. This is an increase from 9.5% in 2014.
In December 2015, a new record was set when 17% of electrical power was supplied through wind power; December was also the month when a new weekly record was set, with 20% of electricity being provided by wind power.
The quarterly records from October to December also saw a minor increase from 12% in 2014 to 13% in 2015. Moreover, the statistics show that 5.8% of the wind power came from onshore sources while 5.2% was from offshore.
According to the figures, wind power is now supplying enough energy to fuel more than 8 million households in United Kingdom.
Commenting on the new statistics, Dr Gordon Edge, director of policy for Renewable UK, said:
“This is a great way to start the new year – the wind industry can be proud that it has shattered weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual generation records in 2015. This re-writes the record books. We’ve had a bumper harvest thanks to increased deployment and superb wind speeds.
“It also demonstrates why the Government should continue to support wind energy, as we’re delivering on our commitment to keep Britain powered up. We can continue to increase the proportion of the nation’s electricity which we provide as we move away from fossil fuels to clean sources of power”.
Wind power investment
In further positive news for the renewable energy sector, Dong Energy, a leading company in the offshore wind sector, has announced plans for significant investment in this form of power in the coming years.
UK Energy Policy
The figures from the National Grid, and the announcement from Dong Energy, should be viewed as good news by the government as the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change, Amber Rudd, recently made a speech regarding the changes to the UK’s energy policy.
Despite the cuts in wind power subsidies, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change said that the government expected 10 gigawatts of wind power to be installed in the UK by 2020, however, Amber Rudd also made it clear that continued support for the wind power industry would be conditional and it was dependent on significant cost reductions.