Electricity generated from offshore wind in the UK in the first quarter of 2018 was at 7.9TWh, marking a 53% increase compared to the same period of 2017. This was mainly due to the increase in UK’s offshore wind capacity, which rose by 37% (2GW) over the last year.
According to the latest report by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the offshore wind capacity increased by 506MW, contributing to the overall renewable energy capacity, which equaled a record 41.9GW at the end of 2018 Q1, an 11.2% increase (4.2GW) on a year earlier.
The total wind generation increased by 38% to a record 17.7TWh, due to higher wind speeds, the government’s Energy Trends report states.
Offshore wind supplied 8.5% of the country’s power needs in the first quarter, taking a part in the 30.1% generated by renewable energy in general, which showed a 3.2% (1.3GW) increase on the previous quarter.
“These new figures show that wind power alone is generating nearly 20% of the UK’s entire electricity needs. Although that’s impressive, it’s just the start,” RenewableUK’s Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said.
The UK offshore wind industry recently committed to working with the government on a sector deal which would see offshore wind deliver one-third of the country’s electricity and reach the connected capacity of 30GW by 2030.
The scaled-up ambition, combined with the government’s Clean Growth Strategy, means the industry will more than double its capacity from the 13GW deployed or contracted today.