The first of Britain’s more than 1100 commercial wind farms started generating electricity in Cornwall exactly 25 years ago, marking the start of the industry.
The 10 turbines of the 4MW Delabole wind farm, which is now owned by Good Energy, were switched on 21 December 1991.
Wind energy has since become a mainstream source of electricity, generating about 12% of the UK’s power demand, RenewableUK said.
The latest onshore turbines installed are more than eight and a half times more powerful than those originally erected in Cornwall, which shows the innovation the industry has achieved, the lobby group said.
Delabole has now been repowered, with the capacity of its turbines jumping from 400kW to 2.3MW each.
It is one of the 1,117 wind farms currently operating in the UK, which have a total capacity of more than 14GW.
“This is an incredible achievement for the renewable industry – and a big moment for Delabole,” Good Energy chief executive Juliet Davenport said.
“Since the turbines started turning, renewable technologies have come a long way, with wind power generating a record-breaking 12% of the UK’s electricity in 2015.”
RenewableUK executive director Emma Pinchbeck said: “Wind power is now a mainstream power source in Britain, outperforming and replacing old fashioned coal.”
Image: Delabole wind farm (Good Energy)
