The data, from www.bmreports.com, shows wind power hit the new high of 12.2% of the UK’s electricity demand on December 28.

Figures show wind power supplied an average of 5.3% of the UK’s demand for electricity for December and early January, reaching a new record of 12.2% on the 28th.

As a result carbon emissions from the UK’s electricity generators were cut by over 750,000 tonnes.

Strangely though, high wind either appears to cause problems for the industry, or boosts wind power depending on how the National Gird handled the peaks and troughs.

However, the end of 2011 was ‘well handled’ by the National Grid according to trade association RenewableUK.

RenewableUK’s director of policy, Dr Gordon Edge, said: “As we’re generating increasingly large amounts of electricity from wind, feeding those large volumes of power into the system represents an engineering challenge to the National Grid – a challenge we are pleased to see they met over Christmas.

“National Grid is responsible for balancing the output of the UK’s electricity generators with demand from consumers and businesses on a minute by minute basis.

“Integrating the variable output of wind generators involves taking a range of balancing actions, including reducing the rate at which fossil fuel generators consume fuel when wind output is higher.”

Luke Walsh

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