Clean Energy Record: More Wind, Less Gas Here

With more wind capacity than natural gas connected to the power grid, Britain set a new record, proof that the country is accelerating its shift toward clean energy with a net-zero emissions goal by 2050.

“This makes Britain only the fifth country in the world to have built more wind farms than any other form of power station,” as stated in Imperial College London’s analysis for Drax Electric Insights.

The United Kingdom’s installed wind capacity reached 27.9 gigawatts (GW) in June, compared to 27.7 GW of gas generation. Until recently, gas was the largest source of power capacity in the UK, but investments in wind grew substantially during the last decade. During the second quarter of 2023, electricity output from gas fell by 23% and coal-fired production by 75%, the lowest level on record. Gas generation exceeded wind output during that period due to low wind speeds. During the same period, carbon emissions from electricity production fell to less than 10 million tons for the second time on record. The first time was during the Covid lockdown.