Wind Energy

Throughout history, communities have harnessed the power of the wind. Now, driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure home-grown energy supplies, wind energy is the world's fastest growing renewable energy type.

Wind energy already makes a significant contribution to the UK, with an output of 15.5TWh in 2011 — equivalent to the annual electricity demand of 4.7 million homes.

Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are traditionally located onshore, and are increasingly installed offshore. Wind energy instillations range from large commercial wind farms to smaller developments, ideal for generating power for a household, farm or local community.

A single 2.5MW wind turbine can generate enough electricity to meet the annual needs of over 1,400 households, make 230 million cups of tea, or run the average computer for well over 2,000 years.

Depending on local wind speeds, a turbine will generate electricity 70–85 per cent of the time. The combined output of UK wind farms however show less variability, due to differences in wind speeds over the country as a whole.

Get involved and support wind energy

• Join the Action for Renewables Campaign
• Generate your own power
• Learn more about communities and energy
• Host a wind farm on your land