A new national record has been set as the output from UK wind farms topped 10 gigawatts for the first time.
Experts say this is evidence that the UK is capable of leading the way in wind generation as the UK possesses some of the windiest regions in Europe.
Energy analyst Dr Jonathon Marshall from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit commented: ''Breaking short-term output records on top of monthly and annual figures clearly shows that wind is now a major part of the UK electricity mix, and will continue to be in the future. Claims that the grid would be unable to handle 5, 10 or 20 per cent wind power have been shown to be well wide off the mark. The opening of new infrastructure to transport power south from the windy hills of Scotland is ramping up – and will help to reduce the whole system cost of wind – while technologies to manage variable output are rapidly becoming cheaper.''
However as last year saw a 56% reduction in green energy investment in the UK, some are still worried about the future of renewables in the UK and question the UK's ability to meet its carbon targets.
Chairwoman of the Commons environmental audit committee, Mary Creagh, added: ''This is the second year in a row that renewable energy investment in the UK has nose-dived. Current rates of investment simply won’t deliver enough renewable energy to meet our legally binding carbon reduction targets.''
Experts are continuing to call for more investment in onshore wind, which ranks as one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy.
