Wind energy has hit new records in Great Britain as 15.32GW of capacity was produced on Friday, 8 February, according to the UK National Grid.
The 15.32GW provided 36% of Britain’s electricity demand between 12:15 and 1:45 p.m. local time beating the previous record of 15.04GW set on 18 December 2018.
“At one of the coldest times of the year, when we need it most, wind is generating over a third of Britain’s power needs, setting a new clean energy record,” RenewableUK’s Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck commented.
According to Pinchbeck, the record is yet another demonstration of how the UK’s energy mix is shifting to renewables, with offshore and onshore wind in the forefront.
“This transition is set to continue apace; we’re currently finalising a sector deal that will see offshore wind alone generating at least a third of our electricity by 2030. This will secure £48bn of new investment and support 27,000 highly-skilled jobs,” Pinchbeck concluded.
Last year, the UK committed to setting aside GBP 557 million to support bi-annual CfD auctions for offshore wind and remote island wind, beginning from the third CfD round expected this May and going throughout the 2020s.
The next round is slated for 2021 and every two years or so from then on. Depending on the price achieved, the auctions are expected to deliver up to 2GW of offshore wind each year in the 2020s.
To remind, 2018 was a record year for the UK as it had added more than 2GW of offshore wind to the grid. Eight new offshore wind farms were officially opened, nearly doubling the previous annual record of 1,154MW in 2012.