Scotland’s wind turbines provided more electricity than the country needed four days in a row
Two new records for Scottish wind power ‘underline the massive progress Scotland is making in securing an ever increasing proportion of its electricity needs from wind power and other clean renewable sources’, says WWF Scotland director Lang Banks
Scotland’s wind turbines have generated more electricity than the country used for a record four days in a row.
The total amount of wind energy produced on Christmas Eve was also the highest ever, with more than 74,000MWh sent to the National Grid – equivalent to the average daily electricity needs of 6.09 million homes.
And, as energy use fell on Christmas Day, wind turbines provided 153 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs.
Karen Robinson, of WeatherEnergy, which analysed the figures, said: “It was only as recently as August 2016 that we first recorded a day where wind-powered electricity generation exceeded demand.
“However, thanks to increasing levels of renewables capacity and improved energy efficiency reducing power demand, we’re starting to see more and more such days.
“Given these figures, now is the time for serious consideration to be given to using more of this excess renewable electricity to help de-carbonise other areas of society, such as powering electric vehicles or heating our homes and businesses using non-fossil fuel technologies.”
Wind energy provided more electricity than Scotland used on 23, 24, 25 and 26 December, according to WeatherEnergy.
At times in Germany and other countries, renewable energy has produced so much power that electricity prices have turned negative, with customers paid to use it.
The low cost of renewables is also driving down the oil price, with a senior executive of the world’s largest private power production company saying it could get as low as $10 a barrel for this reason within 10 years.
