UK electricity demand hit its highest level this winter on Monday – while wind turbines generated their lowest output, official figures show. Cold weather saw UK demand hit 52.54 gigawatts (GW) between 5pm and 5.30pm, according to National Grid. The analysis will fuel concerns that despite receiving billions of pounds in subsidies, Britain’s wind farms cannot be relied upon to keep the lights on when they are needed the most. Britain now has about 12 GW of wind capacity installed on and offshore - meaning during Mondays peak demand period, wind farms were generating less than five per cent of their theoretical maximum output. Gas, coal and nuclear power plants instead provided the vast majority of the UK’s electricity needs. On average, UK wind farms produce about 28 per cent of their theoretical maximum power output. But critics warn that cold snaps when demand soars can often coincide with periods when the wind doesnt blow. They argue that Britain’s energy security will become ever more precarious as old coal and gas power plants are closed and the country becomes more reliant on intermittent wind farms. Dr Lee Moroney of the Renewable Energy Foundation, a think tank critical of wind farms, said: Low wind speeds frequently accompany low temperatures as happened yesterday. The proliferation of wind farms encouraged by Government policy is misguided because a reliance on wind energy in these conditions leads to inevitable extra costs for consumers. Either reliable backup electricity supply from conventional sources must be provided when the wind does not blow, or extra costs in the form of constraint payments are incurred when there is too much wind on the system. It is a lose-lose situation for consumers.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:10:34 +0000
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