31/01/2022 | Grid

New electricity generation record as wind keeps British homes powered up

31 January 2022 - RenewableUK press release


RenewableUK is highlighting figures from National Grid which confirm that Britain’s wind farms set a new generation record on Saturday by generating 19.6 gigawatts of electricity between 1.30 and 2pm, providing 66% of the country’s electricity needs at that time. Overall, wind generated more than half of Britain’s electricity on that day.


RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn said:


“It’s great to see our fleet of onshore and offshore wind farms generating a record amount of clean low-cost power at one of the coldest times of the year.


“This shows that wind is becoming the backbone of our modern clean energy system as we accelerate efforts to phase out expensive fossil fuels. Wind is doing the heavy lifting which will get the UK to net zero as fast as possible, with strong public support around the country”.


This beats the previous record of 17.75GW set on 21st May 2021.


The highest percentage of GB electricity ever generated is 60%, set in the early hours of Wednesday 26th August 2020 (14.2GW). More details on the percentage record are available here.


(ends)


 

Notes


RenewableUK’smembers are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry. 


RenewableUK’s events programme is available here.


For further information, contact