On the penultimate day of the year, British turbines generated 20,918 GW of electricity
(sustainabilityenvironment.com) – The 2022 wind power British closes with the third record of the year. On December 30, the onshore and offshore turbines generated 20,918 GW of electricity, about 5 times more than will be produced by the future (and controversial) Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. The national average of the winds that day was just over 22 km/h, but the Scottish coast and the North Sea have been swept by gusts of up to 96 km per hour. The new wind record in the UK thus exceeds 19.9 GW reached last May and 20,896 GW of 3 November, when the energy from the wind alone had satisfied 53% of English needs.
Record also for renewable generation
That of the penultimate day of 2022 is the new wind record in the UK also with regard to the generation of clean electricity. According to data provided by ESO, Britain’s electricity grid authority, partly because of the “windy weather and low electricity consumption”, the share of energy provided by renewables and nuclear that day covered 87,2% of the country’s total needs. On November 3, we had stopped at 70 percent.
To finish off 2022 we’ve seen a couple of new records as windy weather and low electricity use have pushed up generation in some key fields
— National Grid ESO (@NationalGridESO) January 3, 2023
In 2022, renewable energy provided 40% of UK electricity, up 5% from 2021. The contribution of wind and solar, along with hydroelectric and biomass, has quadrupled in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, last year the fossils still occupied 42% of the electric mix. This figure is partly due to the fact that London this year has zero electricity imports compared to 8% in 2021 and has held several coal-fired power stations on standby.
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In order not to miss the emission reduction targets -and increase its energy security- Britain must accelerate on the expansion of renewables. By April, the new government led by Rishi Sunak should take a decision on the moratorium in force that prevents the installation of new onshore wind turbines.