Scotland’s Winds on Sunday Produces Enough Energy to Power It For a Day - Dispatch Weekly

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August 11, 2016 - Reading time: 3 minutes

Scotland’s winds on Sunday allowed the country to be powered for a whole day, the charity WWF Scotland has claimed.

The weather on Sunday August 7 included high gusts of wind in the region of 60-115mph, allowing the whole country to be powered on renewable energy, which generated 106 percent of Scotland’s electricity.

The Met Office issued a “be aware” weather warning for winds that went up to 115mph on the top of the Cairngorms.

The gales caused disruption for transportation as ferries were cancelled and trains were delayed.

WWF Scotland, Wind Turbines And Electricity 

According to WWF Scotland, such strong winds generated electrical power for the whole country.

The turbines provided 39,545 megawatt-hours of electricity to the National Grid. The country’s total power consumption for homes, business and industry was 37,202.

Lang Banks (@LangBanks) the charity’s Scotland director, said, “While Sunday’s weather caused disruption for many people, it also proved to be a good day for wind power output, with wind turbines alone providing the equivalent of all Scotland’s total electricity needs.”

Political Support, Low Carbon Economy and Energy Strategy

“This major moment was made possible thanks in part to many years of political support, which means that across the year now renewables contribute well over half of our electricity needs.”

“However, if we want to ensure we reap the many benefits of becoming a low carbon economy, we need to see this political support for renewables continue.”

“We also need the Scottish Government’s forthcoming energy strategy to set a goal of securing half of all of our energy, across electricity, heat and transport, from renewables by 2030.”

The Path To A Fully Renewable Future

Lang Banks (@LangBanks) added, “On the path to a fully renewable future, this certainly marks a significant milestone.”

According to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) study, 2015, wind power provided the cheapest electricity in the UK and Germany.

Denmark is a successful example of using wind energy as it supplied 140 per cent of demand in the country.

James Court (@JamesRCourt), head of policy at the REA, Renewable Energy Association said:

“Now that renewables are cost competitive with fossil fuels, we need Government (Westminster) to level the playing field”

“Renewables are being blocked to market by Government policy, just at the time they are commercially viable.”

 

DW Staff

David Lintott is the Editor-in-Chief, leading our team of talented freelance journalists. He specializes in covering culture, sport, and society. Originally from the decaying seaside town of Eastbourne, he attributes his insightful world-weariness to his roots in this unique setting.

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