In June, wind power generated a third of Scotland’s electricity need, said WWF Scotland.
The environmental group’s analysis based on data provided by WeatherEnergy found that for the month of June wind turbines in Scotland alone provided an 620,144MWh of electricity to the National Grid, while the total consumption was 1,891,536MWh.
This represents an increase of 120% compared to that of June 2014, when wind energy provided 281,735MWh.
WWF Scotland’s director Lang Banks said: “While much of the attention may have been focused on the welcome summer sunshine, June also turned out to be an astonishing month for wind power in Scotland. Thanks to a combination of increased capacity and stronger winds, output from turbines more than doubled compared to the same period last year – supplying power equivalent to the electrical needs of 1.7 million homes.
“These figures show just how much wind power has gone from strength to strength. However, wind power in Scotland could and should be playing an even bigger role in helping to reducing climate emissions from the power sector. We therefore hope that the forthcoming Government onshore wind summit can find ways forward to help ensure this clean energy source can meet its true potential.”
Karen Robinson of WeatherEnergy said: “While good for generating power from the sun, the summer months often see a dip in the output from wind turbines. And, while output was certainly lower than the month of May, this June saw a massive jump in output when compared to last year. While the data confirms Scotland is knocking out of the park on wind power, it also confirms it’s no slouch when it comes to solar power too.”