OVER the last several days we have been experiencing a fairly typical and not infrequent UK midwinter weather pattern - fairly static high pressure bringing relative calm, though not windless, conditions and near-freezing daytime temperatures.
It is noteworthy that the National Grid electricity generation statistics show that wind generation has managed to supply very little of the UK's daily demand during all of this week.
Today (February 5) at 09.37am metered wind generation was supplying 2.92 per cent of the UK demand. This was 1.41GW, meaning that wind-generated power output was less than one-eighth of the total installed design maximum capacity of the UK wind fleet of 12.1GW (equal to about one-quarter of today's UK demand). Notably at mid-afternoon on Monday the UK-wide wind output was actually 10 per cent less than today at 2.63 per cent.
This morning the UK had to rely upon coal, nuclear and gas turbines providing 29.95 per cent, 17.66 per cent and 39.18 per cent respectively.
Significantly too, this morning, the UK was importing 6.17 per cent of its energy from France and the Netherlands - twice the energy being produced by the entire UK wind fleet, with most coming from French nuclear plants.
In genuinely calm conditions the wind contribution will be even lower.
The design capacity of the installed Scottish wind fleet in Q3 2014 was 6.44GW -roughly half that of the total UK fleet and is expected to continue to increase significantly.
The challenges of consistently meeting a generation target of 100 per cent from renewables, based, predominately, upon increasing levels of wind generation are clear however, and never likely to result in year-round capability.
The French have advised Ofgem for their 2014 Report that next winter they are unlikely to have spare capacity routinely available to the UK.
DB Watson,
Saviskaill, Langdales Avenue, Cumbernauld.
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