Average offshore wind load factors in January were at their highest since 2015 according to data from energy consultancy Cornwall Insight.
The consultancy said the good performance of the offshore fleet was driven by the performance of projects installed since 2016 which managed averages of 55% – the best monthly performance seen since late 2015.
Offshore wind sites installed before 2016 had average load factors of 52% for the month, still well above the long term average of 38.5% energy department BEIS has calculated for all offshore wind installations.
“There is a clear trend for higher load factors from newer sites which is likely down to the utilisation of larger turbines,” explained Cornwall Insight analyst Lucy Dolton.
“In fact, further research by Cornwall Insight shows some of the newest offshore and onshore sites saw monthly average load factors close to, or above, 70% for the month of January, and on some days approached 100 percent,” she added.
The UK is expected to have an additional 1.1GW of offshore wind energy operational by April this year and the government has pledged to deliver 40GW of installed capacity by 2030.
Dolton said as capacity grows the strong performance of the future offshore wind fleet is likely to affect energy prices.
“During periods of high wind output, the subsequent lower wholesale prices put some sites at risk of cannibalising their revenues and can even lead to negative prices, as seen in December,” she added.