The UK is the windiest country in Europe and could power itself several times over using wind.
Throughout history, communities have harnessed the power of the wind. Driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure home-grown energy supplies, wind energy is the world's fastest growing renewable energy type.
ON SHORE WIND
Onshore wind energy has established itself as a mature, clean and productive technology. It is now the UK’s largest source of renewable energy generation.
Onshore wind farms reduce CO2 emissions, provide energy security, and contribute to the local and national economy. It works well in the UK because of the excellent wind resource and has become one of the most cost effective forms of renewable energy.
OFFSHORE WIND
Offshore Wind and UK Industrial Strategy
The Offshore Wind Sector is working with UK Government to develop an ambitious Sector Deal that transforms people, places and power across the UK. A key milestone in achieving this transformation is deploying up to a cumulative deployed total capacity of 30GW of offshore wind by 2030. This will unlock the investment that will drive a step-change in increased productivity, export opportunities and the growth of a skilled and diverse workforce around the UK.
Offshore Wind Delivers
The cost of new offshore wind has fallen by nearly 50% since 2015 and it is now one of the lowest cost options for new power in the UK and is now cheaper than new gas and nuclear power.
Powering our Future Energy System
Offshore wind will be the backbone of a smart, clean power system. Already, offshore powers the equivalent of 4.5 million homes annually and will generate over 10% of UK electricity by 2020. With continued investment and technological advances, offshore can become the leading UK power source.
Investing in Communities
Offshore wind is investing in communities across the UK. In the next four years, the industry will invest over £17.5bn in projects and helping to regenerate local economies across the UK as we grow our home-grown expertise and supply chain.
Supporting Quality, Long-Term Jobs
Offshore wind supports thousands of UK jobs across manufacturing, project development, construction and operations. Industry is investing in training apprentices and helping workers transition from established sectors into this new offshore energy industry.