Wind energy generation in the U.K. broke all previous records on Sept. 6, according to figures obtained by RenewableUK, a U.K.-based wind and marine energy industry association.
This is the first time the 3 GW milestone has been achieved by wind, RenewableUK says, citing data from National Grid. At 11:58 a.m. on Sept. 6, wind power generation reached 3.021 GW. At that point in the day, wind power was supplying 7.2% of the total amount of electricity on the grid. The previous record was 2.8 GW, which was achieved Jan. 15 of this year.
National Grid says the actual amount of electricity generated during this period by wind was even higher, because one-third of all wind turbine capacity in the U.K. (32%) is connected directly to local electricity networks, and not to the grid, RenewableUK says. Once that extra 1.5 GW were taken into account, the amount of electricity being generated reached 4.5 GW, supplying more than 10% of the U.K.'s electricity needs.
In total, the U.K. currently has 5.739 GW of installed wind capacity, enough to power approximately 3.2 million homes.
