'Turning point' as UK onshore wind pipeline growth almost triples
Lifting of onshore wind ban in England gives further cause for optimism for renewable energy sector in the UK
The pipeline of new onshore wind farms in the UK has grown by over 4GW in the last year, almost three times as much as the previous twelve-month period, according to new RenewableUK figures.
The pipeline has grown by 4.2GW since last September, the trade association reported today, enough to power almost three million homes a year, and taking the total from 38.5GW to 42.7GW.
That is a “considerable increase” on the previous twelve-month period, said RenewableUK, when the pipeline grew by 1.5GW.
The UK now has 15.5GW of onshore wind capacity in operation, it said, enough to power 10.9 million homes. The UK recently hit 30GW of capacity for onshore and offshore wind combined.
“The UK has a healthy pipeline of onshore wind projects which will enable us to boost Britain’s energy security and cut consumer bills by using one of our cheapest sources of new power,” said RenewableUK’s policy chief James Robottom.
Scotland dominates the UK’s onshore wind pipeline capacity, with 75% of the total. Scotland’s operational onshore wind capacity has reached 10GW.
The report forecasts that if all projects in the pipeline are built within the currently expected timeframes, up to 27.8GW of capacity could be operational by 2030, including repowering older projects with new turbines.
The UK renewables sector is riding a new wave of optimism following the election of a Labour government that has set bold pledges to double onshore wind, triple solar and quadruple offshore wind by 2030, by which time it wants to run a net zero electricity grid.