British wind farms overtake nuclear for the first time

Article in the Renewable Energy Magazine
Thursday, 17 May 2018
by Robin Whitlock

Wind farms in the UK have enjoyed another record-breaking three months, producing more electricity than nuclear over the quarter, according to a report by Drax Electric Insights.
Britain’s wind farms produced 18.8 percent of electricity over the quarter, and at their peak they supplied 47.3 percent of the country’s demand (another new record). This happened overnight on March 17th, when temperatures once again dipped below freezing. There has been much debate on whether wind can be relied upon during a cold, calm spell, but during the six sub-zero days this quarter, wind provided between 12 percent and 43 percent of electricity demand, operating at a minimum of 4.4 GW.