UK wind power hits record level

Britain's wind power generation briefly reached 1,860 megawatts, driven by Scottish turbines, as National Grid reported 4.7% of supply; over 24 hours it averaged 5%, or ~10% including embedded generation, within the UK electricity mix.

Britain's wind farms hit record power output levels August 30 and at peak period was generating the same amount of electricity as almost four nuclear power stations, according to energy network operator National Grid.

National Grid said 1,860 megawatts was being generated briefly Aug. 30 at 1930 GMT, mostly from Scotland, which accounted for 4.7 percent of total generation, per the energy dashboard data at the time. A single nuclear power station in Britain generates around 500 megawatts.

"And over the 24 hours on Monday... wind generated 5 percent of all electricity," National Grid said.

"National Grid also believes that if embedded wind generation is taken into account, about 10 percent of Britain's power was generated by wind, as part of the UK's low-carbon generation mix…."

National Grid data showed gas-fired power stations accounts for around half of all electricity generation currently, with coal around a 32 percent, even though more wind than coal in 2016 in Britain, nuclear around 15 percent and wind dropping from the evening highs to 2.2 percent.

Electricity from wind generation is also forecast to fall further, even as renewable generation rises in the UK overall, to less than half of Aug. 30 peaks at 800 megawatts on the following evening and less than a quarter at under 300 megawatts on the evening of September 1.

Britain's wind power generation is still below other European countries such as Spain, even as a UK wind generation record was set, which supplied half its domestic demand during a windy New Year period in January.

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