Using renewable energy such as wind and solar will be the key to reducing carbon emissions and preventing climate change.
It now appears that Britain is on the verge of ‘cleaning up’ all energy, as it is now more dependent on wind power than ever before.
Britain’s wind turbines have set a new wind record, reaching 22,243 megawatts for the first time on Sunday evening (December 15) – providing 54 percent of the country’s electricity.
This surpassed the previous wind of 21,998MW that was installed on January 10, 2023, shows the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
Meanwhile, at 4:30am on Monday morning, wind accounted for 70 percent of the country’s electricity – or 21,123MW.
Wind power is an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source, unlike coal and natural gas (both burning oil).
Around the UK, wind turbines capture energy from the wind by using mechanical energy to spin a generator and produce electricity.
The new record comes as the government plans to make Britain’s electricity ‘cleaner’. decarbonizing the electricity grid by 2030.
Wind turbines can be found both onshore and offshore. Wind turns the blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which produces electricity. The new record comes after the Government announced plans to eliminate electricity by 2030
The new wind record was posted to X (Twitter) by NESO, which operates the UK’s electricity and gas grid.
It was set up because Britain was hit by storms on Sunday night, including in Scotland, which has many people and windmills.
In total, 54 percent of Britain’s power was supplied by gas at around 6:30pm on Sunday, rising to 67 percent on Monday morning and up to 29 percent, as of Tuesday morning.
Barnaby Wharton, RenewableUK’s future electricity director, said it was exciting to see. wind power breaking records’.
“(Wind) is also starting to play a major role in our modern energy mix, making Britain resilient during the coldest, darkest time of the year and strengthening our energy security,” he said.
‘We know that a controlled wind and solar system is the lowest cost to ratepayers, and we look forward to working with the government now that it has a clear road map to achieve this.’
The UK has a number of energy sources thrown into the so-called ‘mix’ – from wind to natural gas, solar, biomass and nuclear.
Our energy mix changes daily depending on demand and the amount of energy produced from each source.
NESO is constantly monitoring the UK’s energy mix. This chart shows how much electricity has been added to the UK for the past six days
This profile was sent to X (Twitter) by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which operates the UK’s electricity and gas grid.
Our energy mix changes daily depending on demand and the amount of energy produced from each source. Pictures, offshore wind turbines in Liverpool Bay
For example, on a windy day, we can generate more wind energy than on a non-windy day – that’s why we can’t rely on wind for the UK’s energy.
According to NESO, as of Tuesday morning 29.8 percent of the mix is wind, but gas (fuel oil) makes up the largest part – 37 percent.
Meanwhile, nuclear currently makes up 11.8 percent of the mix, imports 8.6 percent, biomass 6 percent and hydro 2 percent.
Biomass is organic material burned to release stored energy, while hydro uses the kinetic energy of moving water to generate electricity.
Gas, coal and oil are all considered fuels because they were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
When oil is burned, it releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), which traps heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming.
It is not clear when the UK will stop using gas, although the government aims to remove 80 per cent of gas boilers from UK homes by 2035.
Dr Simon Evans, senior policy editor at Carbon Brief, expects wind to hit the gas mix next year.
Eastern Green Link 2 will move clean energy from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire to Drax in North Yorkshire, while a shorter cable called Eastern Green Link 1 will run from Torness near Edinburgh to Hawthorn Pit in County Durham. A similar line down the west coast, called the Western Link already carries power between Hunterston in Scotland and Flintshire Bridge in Wales.
In Britain, the last remaining coal-fired station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar near Nottingham, turned off its generators for the last time on September 30.
“By 2030, if the government’s electricity targets are met, emissions will be less than 5 per cent and wind will be more than 50 per cent,” he told MailOnline.
‘The UK already gets as much electricity from wind as from gas – and wind will dominate our supply by the end of the decade.
‘While we will still need natural gas power instead of wind, the rise in wind means we will be burning less oil bought on international gas markets.’
There are currently 11,000 wind turbines in and around the UK the government is considering thousands more will be built around England as an alternative to wind power generation.
England and Scotland are also expected to join forces build a ‘superhighway’ which carries clean energy produced by the wind.
Although the UK remains dependent on natural gas, it made a big splash earlier this year when it phased out coal.
The UK’s last coal mine, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, closed for good on September 30.
It ended the reliance on coal for nearly 150 years in the UK, starting with the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in 1882.
