Britain’s onshore and offshore wind farms generated more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of power for the first time on 2 November 2022, according to National Grid ESO.
The record was set during the half-hour period from 12.00pm to 12.30pm GMT, when wind generation reached 20,896 megawatts (MW), providing 53% of Britain’s electricity.
This was the second wind energy generation record to be set within the space of a week, RenewableUK reported.
“Generating more than 20 gigawatts of electricity for the first time represents a new milestone for wind energy in Britain. The fact that we’ve smashed the last record within the space of a week shows that wind is consistently generating vast amounts of clean power and becoming the backbone of our modern energy system,” said RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail in a statement.
“This benefits hard-pressed billpayers too, because wind has become the UK’s cheapest source of new power. It’s also strengthening our energy security at a time when generating our own electricity from home-grown sources has become vitally important," he added.
RenewableUK pointed out that although the latest statistics represent a new electricity generation record, the highest percentage of electricity generated from wind in a half-hour period is 64% on 29 January this year.