Offshore wind generation in the UK rose by 25% in the second quarter of 2019, contributing to a 9.9% rise in renewable generation, according to the latest report by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
In Q2 2019, generation from offshore wind saw an increase from 1.2 TWh to 6 TWh, which is 30% lower than the previous quarter, while total electricity generated from renewables was up by 2.4 TWh to 27.1 TWh.
Weather conditions for renewables were similar as for the same time last year, though this year June saw higher average wind speeds of 7.9 knots compared to 7 knots last year.
The largest increase in absolute terms was in offshore wind capacity which rose by 18% to 9.2GW, said to be due to the 1.2GW Hornsea Project One and 588MW Beatrice offshore wind projects being added.
Hornsea Project One started generating electricity in Q1 2019 and further capacity came online in Q2 to bring total capacity to 665MW. Beatrice also came online in stages as capacity has been added in each of the last four quarters and stood at 588MW when the project was completed in Q2.
In Q2 2019, offshore wind’s load factor increased by 3 percentage points, from 28.1% in Q2 2018 to 31%, with Scotland having the highest load factors.
England had the most renewable capacity and generation, more than two and a half times that for Scotland, with 32% of offshore wind capacity.