The UK onshore wind industry recorded its worst year for new installations in almost a decade in 2018 with 598MW of new projects coming online in the 12 months, according to new figures from RenewableUK.
A total of 263 turbines were installed at some 54 sites, significantly down on the over 2.6GW installed in 2017.
The trade body said the 2018 haul was the lowest level since 2011.
RUK blamed government policy changes for the return including the closure of the Renewables Obligations and the barring of access to the technology for Contracts for Difference auctions.
Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said there is 4.5GW of “ready-to-go” onshore wind that can be delivered to “close the gap between the low carbon power we need and the amount Government policy is actually delivering”.
“The Secretary of State has rightly recognised that renewables can now be delivered with little or no subsidies, and that they have earned their place at the heart of a modern energy system,” she added.
“But Government has stacked the odds against onshore wind being built at the scale needed to meet our carbon budgets and excluded these projects from competing for government-backed power contracts.”