Wind power hits 3,000MW mark for the first time

Britain's wind power generation capacity continues to smash records as it beat the significant mark of 3,000MW.

The news has prompted leading green energy trade association, RenewableUK, to call for more investment in the wind sector.



It is the second time in a year the record for wind generation has been broken after the previous highest mark was set in January at 2,800MW.



On Tuesday (September 6) the new high was recorded by the National caused by heavy winds left over from Hurricane Irene, which devastated the United States.



At the peak time of 11.58am wind power generation reached a total 3,021MW at that point in the day, wind power was supplying 7.2% of the total amount of electricity on the grid.



However, the new record is likely to fall again in the near future with government figures claiming the UK currently has 5,739MW of installed wind capacity - enough to power more than 3M homes.



RenewableUK's chief executive, Maria McCaffery, said: "These record-breaking figures show wind energy is providing ever-increasing amounts of electricity to homes and businesses across the country.



"It makes a strong case for installing even greater capacity, so we can make the most of the bountiful wind resource we have in Britain.



"The benefits are clear - we are generating clean energy, cutting down on expensive and insecure imports of fossil fuels and creating tens of thousands of jobs over the next decade."



Luke Walsh