Tapping renewable energy sources like wind and solar will be key to limiting carbon emissions and avoiding a climate crisis.
Now it seems Britain is well on its way to fully ‘clean’ energy, as it’s now relying on wind power more than ever.
Britain’s wind turbines have set a new maximum wind record, reaching 22,243 megawatts for the first time on Sunday evening (December 15) – providing 54 per cent of the country’s electricity supply.
This beat the previous maximum wind record of 21,998MW set on January 10, 2023, reveals the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
Meanwhile, at 4:30am on Monday morning, wind accounted for 70 per cent of the country’s electricity supply – or 21,123MW.
Wind power is an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source, contrasting with the likes of coal and gas (both fossil fuels).
Dotted around the UK, wind turbines harness energy from the wind using mechanical power to spin a generator and create electricity.
The new record comes as the government plans to make Britain’s energy system ‘clean’ by decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030.
Wind turbines can be found both off-shore and on land. Wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity. The new record comes after the Government announced plans to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030
The new wind record was posted to X (Twitter) by NESO, which operates the UK’s electricity system and for planning the gas system.
It was set because Britain experienced above-average winds on Sunday night, including in Scotland, which is heavily-populated with wind turbines.
In all, 54 per cent of Britain’s energy was supplied by wind at around 6:30pm on Sunday, rising to 67 per cent Monday morning and since falling to 29 per cent, as of Tuesday morning.
Barnaby Wharton, director of future electricity systems at industry body RenewableUK, said it’s ‘fantastic to see wind energy breaking records’.
‘[Wind is] once again taking centre stage in our modern clean energy mix, keeping Britain powered up at the coldest, darkest time of the year and strengthening our energy security,’ he said.
‘We know a system dominated by wind and solar is the lowest cost for bill payers, and we look forward to working with government now that it has a clear road map to achieving this.’
The UK has several different sources of energy thrown into the so-called ‘mix’ – from wind to gas, solar, biomass and nuclear.
Our energy mix fluctuates daily depending on demand and the amount of energy generated from each source.
NESO is constantly tracking the UK’s energy mix. This graph shows the proportion of energy sources in the UK’s mix for the past six days
The record was posted to X (Twitter) by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which operates the UK’s electricity system and for planning the gas system
Our energy mix fluctuates daily depending on demand and the amount of energy generated from each source. Pictured, offshore wind turbines in Liverpool Bay
For example, on a windy day, we might generate more wind power than on a non-windy day – which is why we can’t solely rely on wind for the UK’s energy needs.
According to NESO, as of Tuesday morning 29.8 per cent of the mix is wind, but gas (a fossil fuel) makes up an even higher proportion – 37 per cent.
Meanwhile, nuclear currently makes up 11.8 per cent of the mix, imports from other countries 8.6 per cent, biomass 6 per cent and hydro 2 per cent.
Biomass is organic material burnt to release stored energy, while hydro uses the kinetic energy of moving water to generate electricity.
Meanwhile, oil, another fossil fuel, makes up less than 1 per cent of the UK’s mix.
Gas, coal and oil are all considered fossil fuels because they were formed from the fossilized, buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which traps heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming.
It’s unclear when exactly the UK will stop using gas, although the government aims to phase out 80 per cent of gas boilers from UK homes by 2035.
Eastern Green Link 2 will move clean energy from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire, while a shorter line called Eastern Green Link 1 will run from Torness near Edinburgh to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham. A similar line down the west coast, known as Western Link already transports energy between Hunterston in Scotland and Flintshire Bridge in Wales
In Britain, the last remaining coal-fired power station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar near Nottingham , switched off its generators for the last time on September 30
Dr Simon Evans, senior policy editor at Carbon Brief, expects wind to overtake gas in the mix as soon as next year.
‘By 2030, if the government’s clean power target is to be met, then gas would be below 5 per cent and wind would be well over 50 per cent,’ he told MailOnline.
‘The UK already gets nearly as much electricity from wind as from gas – and wind will dominate our supplies by the end of the decade.
‘While we’ll still need gas-fired capacity for when it isn’t windy, the rise of wind means we’ll be burning much less fuel bought on volatile international gas markets.’
Already, there are an estimated 11,000 wind turbines in and around the UK and the government is considering thousands more to be built around England as an another way to increase the amount of energy from wind.
England and Scotland are also set to collaborate on the construction of a ‘superhighway’ that transports clean energy generated by wind.
Despite its continuing reliance on gas, the UK marked a huge milestone earlier this year when it finally phased out coal.
The UK’s last ever operating coal power station, in Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, was shut down for good on September 30.
It ended a nearly 150-year reliance on coal power by the UK, dating back to the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in 1882.
