Wind powers more than half of U.K. electricity for first time

Britain intends to rely heavily on offshore wind power as part of its efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to help meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord. (AFP)

LONDON — Wind power accounted for more than half of Britain's daily generated electricity on Saturday in the wake of Storm Bella, according to energy giant Drax.

The percentage of wind power in the country's energy mix hit a record 50.67 per cent on Saturday, the company said over the weekend, beating the previous record of 50 per cent in August.

"For the first time ever (on Saturday), amid #StormBella, more than half of Great Britain's electricity was generated by the wind," Drax Group tweeted.

It added: "This is the first time ever wind has supplied the majority of the country's power over the course of a whole day."

The encouraging news comes ahead of COP26, the UN's global climate change summit, which will be held in Glasgow next year.

The British government wants offshore wind farms to provide one third of the country's electricity by 2030, as part of its strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to help meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

The U.K. has also placed nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy.

"Britain has experienced a renewables revolution over the last decade with the growth of biomass, wind and solar power," Drax said.

Added to the brightening picture, National Grid's Electricity System Operator (NGESO) division declared Tuesday that this year was a historic year for U.K. renewables.

"2020 was the greenest year on record for Britain's electricity system, with average carbon intensity -- the measure of CO2 emissions per unit of electricity consumed -- reaching a new low," NGESO said in a statement.

National Grid also revealed that on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, the share of coal in the U.K. electricity mix stood at zero for the first time.

That compared with just 1.8 per cent the previous year -- and 20 per cent in 2009.