High winds mean over HALF the UK’s homes powered by green electricity

The fierce winds of Storm Kathleen had an unexpected benefit as more than half the country’s homes were powered by wind-generated electricity – double the normal average, This is Money can reveal.

Gusts topping 70mph were recorded in parts of Britain on 6 April, the height of the storm, sparking major travel disruption and flooding.

But the high wind speeds also meant that the country’s wind turbines made up double the amount of electricity they usually do.

Wind made up 61.6 per cent of the nation’s electricity supply on 6 April, creating 18 gigawatts of power – enough to power 12.6million homes for the day.

Green electricity: Wind made up 61.6% of electricity creation on April 6

This stayed almost constant on 7 April, with wind making up 60.8 per cent of the country’s electricity mix, according to National Grid ESO.

The UK daily record for the amount of electricity coming from wind power is 70.9 per cent, also this year – on 20 January.

This is Money analysis shows that thanks to a gusty start to the year, a total of 18 days have seen 50 per cent or higher electricity creation from wind.

Additionally, of the 87 days from the year (of 97) of data provided by National ESO, wind has made up 36.5 per cent of Britain’s energy mix in 2023. This compares to 29.4 per cent in 2023.

In February, there was a four day spell where wind made up 50 per cent or more of the energy mix, while 5, 6 and 7 April also saw more than 50 per cent of electricity creation through wind. 

Wind power only made up 29.4 per cent of the UK’s electricity mix in 2023.

The other main ways of generating electricity are burning natural gas, coal, hydroelectric power, solar and burning biomass.

The high winds on 6 April meant only 8.2 per cent of the UK’s electricity on the day came from burning the fossil fuel natural gas, down from the 2023 norm of 32 per cent.

Britain is fourth in the world when it comes to wind power, behind China, the US and Germany. There are around 11,000 wind turbines in the UK, with half on land and half offshore.

These turbines have the potential to generate 30 gigawatts of electricity, provided there is enough wind to power them. At peak times the UK requires around 60 gigawatts of electricity.

The Government plans to increase the amount of electricity wind turbines can create to 50 gigawatts by 2030.

Former prime minister David Cameron had previously halted the construction of new onshore windfarms in 2015, with current prime minister Rishi Sunak relaxing this in 2023, although very few onshore wind farms are currently underway.

But England alone could create 13 times more green energy than currently by using less than 3 per cent of its land, according to research from Exeter University and Friends of the Earth.

The researchers said 96 gigawatts of electricity could come from onshore wind and another 130 gigawatts from solar panels.

Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: ‘Unleashing the UK’s immense potential to generate cheap, clean homegrown renewables is essential to bring down our energy bills for good and meeting the UK’s vital international target to reduce carbon emissions by two-thirds by 2030. 

‘But the current government’s record on boosting our energy security through renewables is woefully inadequate and has left the UK lagging far behind in the global race to a zero-carbon economy.’

All the UK’s coal-fired power stations are due to be shut down by the end of 2024.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk