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Scottish Wind Power
Scotland is a windy country.
Most wind turbines in the European Union produce electricity at an
average of 25% of their maximum rated power as a result of the variability of
wind resources. The west and northern
coasts of Scotland have an average capacity of 31% or more. Some wind farms in Scotland have achieved
more than 50% capacity over the course of a year.
As of the end of last year, Scotland had more than 8 GW of installed
wind power capacity. This included 7.8
GW of onshore wind and 623 MW of offshore wind generators. Estimates are that more than 11 GW of onshore
wind could be installed in Scotland. The
total offshore potential is far greater than that but would be much more
expensive. There are multiple
large-scale wind farms proposed or under construction in Scotland.
All of this growth in wind power has led to some remarkable
results. During the first half of 2019,
wind turbines in Scotland produced enough electricity to power every home in
the country twice over. Scottish wind
farms generated nearly 10 million megawatt-hours between January and June,
which is equal to the consumption of 4.5 million homes during that period. That is enough to take care of all of
Scotland’s homes plus a large portion of northern England’s.
Scotland has set a target of generating half of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2030 and decarbonizing its energy system almost entirely
by 2050. The recent performance of its
wind power installations shows that the country might be able to reach its goal
much sooner than anticipated.
**********
Web Links
Scotland’s Wind Farms Generate Enough Electricity to Power Nearly 4.5 Million Homes
Photo, posted March 27, 2017, courtesy of Ian Dick via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
View all episodes
By Randy Simon
4.7
1515 ratings
Scotland is a windy country.
Most wind turbines in the European Union produce electricity at an
average of 25% of their maximum rated power as a result of the variability of
wind resources. The west and northern
coasts of Scotland have an average capacity of 31% or more. Some wind farms in Scotland have achieved
more than 50% capacity over the course of a year.
As of the end of last year, Scotland had more than 8 GW of installed
wind power capacity. This included 7.8
GW of onshore wind and 623 MW of offshore wind generators. Estimates are that more than 11 GW of onshore
wind could be installed in Scotland. The
total offshore potential is far greater than that but would be much more
expensive. There are multiple
large-scale wind farms proposed or under construction in Scotland.
All of this growth in wind power has led to some remarkable
results. During the first half of 2019,
wind turbines in Scotland produced enough electricity to power every home in
the country twice over. Scottish wind
farms generated nearly 10 million megawatt-hours between January and June,
which is equal to the consumption of 4.5 million homes during that period. That is enough to take care of all of
Scotland’s homes plus a large portion of northern England’s.
Scotland has set a target of generating half of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2030 and decarbonizing its energy system almost entirely
by 2050. The recent performance of its
wind power installations shows that the country might be able to reach its goal
much sooner than anticipated.
**********
Web Links
Scotland’s Wind Farms Generate Enough Electricity to Power Nearly 4.5 Million Homes
Photo, posted March 27, 2017, courtesy of Ian Dick via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
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