UK wind farms generated over 21GW of electricity for the first time on Tuesday, hitting a new milestone and breaking the previous high set just days ago on December 30.
Wind hit the record between 6:00pm and 6:30pm in the evening amid blustery conditions.
Wow, wasn't it windy ????️ yesterday! So much so that we saw a new max #Wind generation record ???? of over 21.6GW
We are still waiting for all the data to come through for yesterday - so this might be adjusted slightly. Great news for #ZeroCarbon #Electricity operation.
— National Grid ESO (@NationalGridESO) January 11, 2023
"Throughout this blustery winter, wind is taking a leading role as our major power source, setting new records time and time again,” commented Dan McGrail, chief executive of trade body RenewableUK,
He added this was “good news for billpayers and businesses,” given wind is the UK’s cheapest source of power.
Blustery conditions have seen wind become a key player in the UK’s power generation mix, with turbines producing 59.7% of domestic production on Tuesday.
Between 27 December and 9 January, low carbon sources, including wind, produced 82.5% of the UK’s power, cutting gas demand and saving £2.1bn, according to the trade body.
Concern has been raised over the country’s reliance on the source, however.
Turbines cannot operate above 55mph or below 8mph, according to the European Wind Energy Association, an issue experts say is made worse by a lack of energy storage in the UK.
“The move to more renewable energy sources, like wind, means overall power generation is more unpredictable,” says Martin McGhie, a manager at the Drax Crauchan pumped-storage hydro station.
Still, the weather saw electricity prices spike in mid-December, with a combination of low temperatures and a lack of wind almost requiring the use of two emergency back-up coal-fired power stations.
Excessive supply of electricity is also “a feature of renewable-dominated markets,” says EnAppSys director Phil Hewitt, which sees generators pay a penalty price for over-delivering energy.
Imperial College London and Apricum researchers suggested that the UK’s storage capacity will need to be upped by nearly ten times in the next 30 years, from 3GW in 2020 to roughly 30GW, to complement the growth in greener, but ultimately less-controllable, renewable sources.
With “coal and other fossil fuels disproportionality” dominating the energy mix at times of lower renewable output, the UK’s need “to champion solutions such as carbon and battery storage, as well as gas-fired hydrogen,” is becoming ever more important, adds VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities PLC (LSE:GSEO) co-chief Richard Lum.