Wind capacity in the UK has surpassed the 20GW milestone following the installation of a large-scale offshore project.
Wind power in the UK can now power the equivalent of 14 million households after breaking the 20GW barrier in installed capacity. As well as powering homes, wind generation has also reduced carbon emissions in the UK by 23 million tonnes a year.
The completion of Ørsted’s 659MW Walney Extension helped the UK break the impressive milestone; based off the coast of Cumbria, the array is the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
As a result of this increased capacity, wind power now accounts for 15% of the UK’s energy mix.
In a further boost to the wind power industry, the government announced a Sector Deal back in March which aims to double capacity in the UK by 2030 to 30GW. Not only would this generate clean energy for millions of homes in the UK but it would also create thousands of jobs and potentially allow billions of pounds worth of exports.
The nation’s first onshore wind farm went live in 1991, with the first offshore project completed in 2000.
It was announced yesterday that SSE also plan to extend their Tangy wind facility in Scotland from 18.7MW to 80MW. The project became operational back in 2004 but the new proposal would see the existing 22 turbines replaced by 16 new turbines which are much more efficient.