50% rise to higher wind speeds and the industry’s increased capacity to generate clean electricity.

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• 120% increase in electricity from wind compared to a year ago
• 50% rise overall in electricity from renewables
• Nearly half of all renewable electricity comes from wind alone

RenewableUK, the country’s largest renewable energy trade association, has welcomed today’s Government statistics which show that from April to June 2011, renewable energy sources, including wind, supplied 9.6% of the UK’s electricity – up from 6.3% in the same quarter in 2010. The report attributes the 50% rise to higher wind speeds and the industry’s increased capacity to generate clean electricity. Nearly half the renewable electricity produced in this period came from wind (46.4%).

The quarterly Energy Statistics, published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, show that the amount of electricity generated from wind in the second quarter of this year was 120.3% higher than the same quarter (Q2) last year.

Dr Gordon Edge, RenewableUK’s Director of Policy, said “We’ve reached a historic high, with renewable energy now providing almost 10% of the UK’s electricity. These statistics show that the wind industry making a tremendous contribution to the nation’s energy supply. Wind is now providing enough power to supply nearly three and a quarter million homes in the UK. The amount of wind can of course vary from month to month, but year on year, we can expect the role of wind energy to continue to grow, providing us with a secure alternative to expensive fossil fuel imports. This will stabilise energy prices, as well as generating tens of thousands of jobs, and helping us to build a new low carbon economy”.