UK wind generation surpassed 20GW earlier this week according to National Grid, hitting a new record for the second week in a row.
National Grid ESO have confirmed on Twitter that on 2 November wind generated a record 20,896MW in the 12:30 settlement period, which amounts to 53% of all the UK’s electricity. This announcement comes less than a week after the previous UK wind generation record of 19.936GW was set on 26 October.
As a sector, wind power is going from strength to strength, growing from a record for wind generation availability of 17.6GW in mid-October to over 20GW this week. Wind generation is regarded as one of the most cost-efficient methods of producing renewable energy, with the potential to save each UK household nearly £250 in savings per annum according to research by RenewableUK.
Power price forecasts released by Cornwall Insight show onshore and offshore wind turbine are crucial in managing energy prices as their low marginal costs could cause energy prices to fall before 2030. New analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit also predicts that individual households may receive £25 from wind farms paying back through the Contracts for Difference scheme. The low cost of wind generation means that as more wind farms come online this figure could rise to £45 a year by next winter.
An Opinion Matters independent survey commissioned by Octopus Energy Generation in April reported that 87% of people support the installation of a wind turbine in their postcode area, if it were to result in the reduction of their energy bills.
After initially receiving little governmental support in comparison to offshore wind, the 23 September UK Government’s prospective growth plan to reduce energy bill costs saw the return of support incentives for the development of onshore wind. This development may help address stringent planning constraints that have hindered onshore wind farm generation so far.
