Wind to Back National Grid’s Gone Green Scenario

RenewableUK, the trade association representing the wind, wave and tidal energy industries has welcomed the latest update of National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios and their review of the performance of the energy sector last winter.

In their annual Future Energy Scenarios, National Grid said the “Gone Green” pathway is “the only scenario to achieve all renewable and carbon targets on time”, supplying 34% of the UK’s electricity by 2020. It also states that: “renewable electricity, mainly from wind, contributes most to reaching the 2020 renewables target”.

Under the Gone Green scenario, onshore and offshore wind contribute “the vast majority of the output” from renewables, suppling 18% of the UK’s electricity needs by the end of the decade.

But to achieve this, “certainty and clarity on government policy such as the publication of strike prices for 2019/20 and 2020/21” and “in particular the planning process” are identified as key measures.

National Grid’s review of winter 2014/15 specifically highlighted the vital contribution that wind energy makes to the UK’s energy mix, stating that “windy conditions provided additional electricity supply” and that “wind generation delivered well”.

RenewableUK’s Director of Policy, Dr Gordon Edge, said: “When National Grid says the only way to hit our legally-binding renewable energy and carbon reduction targets is via their “Gone Green” scenario you’d hope that Government Ministers will take notice. This means maximising the deployment of onshore and offshore wind as these technologies are identified in this report as the biggest contributors to the renewables mix .

“It’s particularly interesting to see the Gone Green scenario envisaging an extra 6 gigawatts of onshore wind being installed between 2020 and 2030 to meet our long term carbon reduction targets. This shows that National Grid believes that onshore wind has an important role to play, which makes the Government’s announcement about ending future support for onshore wind all the more baffling”.