Great Britain set a new wind generation record on 11 November, with turbines producing 22,711 megawatts at 7:30 p.m., surpassing the previous peak of 22,523MW recorded on 18 December 2024, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) said.
At the time of the new peak, wind supplied 43.6% of electricity demand — enough to meet the needs of more than 22 million homes. NESO said the milestone demonstrates the system’s ability to operate securely with high levels of domestic renewable output.
“This is a world-beating record, showing that our national grid can run safely and securely on large quantities of renewables generated right here in Britain,” said Kayte O’Neill, NESO’s chief operating officer. “We’ve come on leaps and bounds in wind generation in recent years. It really shows what is possible, and I look forward to seeing if we can hit another clean energy milestone in the months ahead: running Britain’s electricity grid entirely zero carbon.”
During the record period, gas provided 12.5% of generation, with embedded wind at 12.1%, interconnector flows at 11.3%, nuclear at 8%, biomass at 8%, hydro at 1.4% and storage at 1.1%, NESO said. Government data shows clean energy now accounts for roughly 60% of the country’s power mix, up from just 3% in 2000.
Britain hosts five of the world’s largest offshore wind farms and set a separate solar generation record of 14GW in June. Wind generated nearly 83TWh in 2024, making it the UK’s largest source of electricity.
Ministers plan to double onshore wind and quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030, alongside a 150% expansion in solar generation.
Jane Cooper, deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, said: “On a cold, dark November evening, wind was generating enough electricity to power 80% of British homes when we needed it most. This new record high period is another tangible example of wind taking its place at the heart of our clean energy system, as we transition away from the volatile prices of fossil fuels which caused the energy crisis.”
She added that the government “has a great opportunity to strengthen the UK’s homegrown energy security further” by securing more clean-power capacity in the upcoming contracts auction. A record volume of offshore wind capacity is eligible to compete, and she urged ministers “to pull out all the stops to enable this vital capacity to be built as soon as possible,” saying the sector could create tens of thousands of jobs and attract substantial private investment.
