14 DAY TRIAL // In a report shared with the public not too long ago, trade association RenewableUK details how, this past weekend, the United Kingdom's wind power sector pretty much went into overdrive and ended up establishing a new generation record.
It appears that, this past Sunday night, at about 10 o'clock local time, wind turbines up and running across the country's territory started producing energy at an impressive rate and delivered 5.0GW of power over the hour.
By comparison, the United Kingdom's coal-fired power plants had an estimated output of just 3.2GW during this time frame. Hence, it's safe to assume that renewables are in fact becoming increasingly popular in this country.
To help put things into perspective, it must be said that, by producing 5.0GW worth of energy, the UK's wind sector met as much as 17% of the country's overall demand at that time. Coal power, on the other hand, met merely 11% of the national demand.
“We can confirm it was a record day for wind in August. Last year the record was 4GW, this month has already hit 5GW,” a spokesperson for trade association RenewableUK told the press in an interview, as cited by Business Green.
“These latest figures show that wind is continuing to provide a significant proportion of the UK's electricity all year round, including the hot summer months, outstripping the contribution from traditional carbon-heavy sources like coal,” added specialist Jennifer Webber.
It is expected that, in the months to come, the UK's wind sector will go on to establish new energy generation records. This is because several other offshore and onshore farms built over the course of the past few months are getting ready to become operational.
While it is true that the United Kingdom's wind sector truly had a blast this past weekend, it looks like gas and nuclear power are still the king and queen of the country's energy industry. What's more, chances are that it will be a while before they are dethroned.
On Sunday, gas and nuclear accounted for 30% and 27% of the United Kingdom's overall energy needs, respectively. Hydropower and biomass each delivered 2% and 2.5%, and another 10% was imported. All in all, clean sources accounted for 48% of the energy mix, provided that one is willing to list nuclear power as eco-friendly.
According to several studies, man-made climate change and global warming are as real as it gets, and have high chances to upset both natural ecosystems and agricultural practices worldwide. As explained by scientists, these phenomena can be limited by reducing the use of fossil fuels and promoting renewables.