Turbines generated the equivalent of 98% of Scotland’s electricity demand, enough to power up to five million homes.

The National Grid demand for the entire month was 1,850,512 MWh, while wind turbines across Scotland generated approximately 1,820,950MWh.

Record Figures

The data comes from WeatherEnergy, part of the European EnergizAIR project, which is led by the European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation.

The best day for energy production during October was the 23rd, WWF said, where 105,900.94 MWh was generated.

Demand on this particular day stood at more than 45,000 MWh, meaning that wind generation was 234% of what was required from households across the country.

Conversely, the worst day for wind generation in October was the 18th, which saw 18,377.71 MWh. Demand that day was 73,628.5 MWh, equaling around 25% wind generation.

Despite these figures, wind turbines still powered over 60% of households across Scotland.

Wind power has consistently improved over the past five years, according to these figures. In October 2017, Scotland produced 1,727,603MWh and in 2016 figures stood at 792,717MWh.

“Wind is Working”

Dr Sam Gardner, acting director at WWF Scotland, said: “What a month October proved to be, with wind powering on average 98% of Scotland’s entire electricity demand for the month, and exceeding our total demand for a staggering 16 out of 31 days.

“These figures clearly show wind is working, it’s helping reduce our emissions and is the lowest cost form of new power generation.”

Figures released by WWF Scotland also show that the majority of wind turbines were onshore, with offshore power accounting for just 0.3% of output.

Dr Gardner touched on the growing popularity of wind power, particularly in rural areas throughout Scotland.

“It’s also popular,” he said. “A recent survey also shows more and more people support turbines in rural areas. That’s why it’s essential that the UK Government unlocks market access for onshore wind at a time when we need to be scaling up electrification of heat and transport.”

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