Britain reaches milestone in renewable energy

subscribe

The UK has reached a milestone of installing 1 gigawatt GW of offshore wind farms – enough to power 700,000 homes. It was achieved this week as two new wind farms off the coast began generating electricity.

The UK now has 11 offshore wind farms, with a total of 336 installed turbines, according to the industry body Renewables UK. A further 4GW of offshore wind farms are being constructed or have planning consent and a total of 40GW are at various stages of development.

Maria McCaffery, chief executive of the organization, said hitting the 1GW mark in 10 years was a tremendous step forward. The UK offshore wind industry has come of age. In the last 10 years we have built a brand new worldleading industry sector that will create longterm value for this country.

She said that in the first quarter of this year, £500m of private investment had been poured into offshore wind in the UK.

The opportunity now for this country is to build on this position of global leadership to develop the industrial and service supply chain to provide the equipment and skills that will embed Britains competitive advantage in marine renewables, Ms McCaffery said.

Related News

new zealand wind farm

As New Zealand gets serious about climate change, can electricity replace fossil fuels in time?

WELLINGTON - As fossil fuels are phased out over the coming decades, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) suggests electricity will take up much of the slack, powering our vehicle fleet and replacing coal and gas in industrial processes.

But can the electricity system really provide for this increased load where and when it is needed? The answer is “yes”, with some caveats.

Our research examines climate change impacts on the New Zealand energy system. It shows we’ll need to pay close attention to demand as well as supply. And we’ll have to factor in the impacts of climate change when we plan…

READ MORE
wartsila-to-power-usas-first-battery-electric-high-speed-ferries

Wartsila to Power USA’s First Battery-Electric High-Speed Ferries

READ MORE

leapreau nuclear station

Questions abound about New Brunswick's embrace of small nuclear reactors

READ MORE

texas snow storm

"It's freakishly cold": Deep freeze slams American energy sector

READ MORE

vancouver skyline at night

Electricity use actually increased during 2018 Earth Hour, BC Hydro

READ MORE