Wind power met 41 per cent of UK demand during one half-hour period on the 25th December – a huge jump over the previous high of 34 per cent. In total, renewable sources supplied of 47 per cent of all power over the period.
The previous daily record (34 per cent) was also soundly beaten after wind farms supplied 32 per cent of the UK’s electricity on Christmas Day. Overall, 42 per cent came from renewables, according to figures from National Grid.
A fifth of all power came from wind during the week ending on 25th December – a slight increase over the previous weekly record of 19 per cent. Renewables supplied 28 per cent of electricity over the seven-day period.
RenewableUK deputy chief executive Maf Smith said: “The growth of wind energy across the UK over the past 25 years is a great success story which we can all be proud of, and it’s especially heartening to see that it was wind that helped to keep the Christmas lights on throughout the festive season”.
“Renewables are now a mainstream provider of electricity, delivering low cost, reliable power to consumers not just at Christmas but the whole year round.”
Low-carbon generation reached a major milestone in the third quarters of 2016 after nuclear plants and renewables supplied half of Britain’s power in the three months to the end of September. Coal generation also fell to a record low of 3.8 per cent.