Scotland Generated Enough Wind Energy to Power All Households, Twice Over

Between January and June 2019, Scotland produced 9,831,230 megawatt-hours of electricity. That's enough energy for the country to provide power to up to 4.47 million homes, nearly double the amount Scotland actually has, according to the WWF. And since that time, things have only improved, thanks to the increase in renewable energy capacity. 

It's well known that Scotland has many wind farms, but this data from WeatherEnergy shows just how well these farms are operating in the northern country. 

Figures released by Weather Energy show that windfarms in Scotland produced 9,831,320MWh between January and June this year, which is enough to power 4.47 million homes. https://t.co/Ien1uI7F6Y

— Utility Week (@UtilityWeek) July 15, 2019

Scottish government plans to clean up power supply

By 2030, the Scottish government hopes to be using renewable energy for half of its entire energy consumption. They also hope to eliminate CO2 emissions almost entirely from its energy infrastructure by 2050. 

Given how well wind power performed in just one half of the year, these statistics appear doable, and perhaps even on the cautious side. 

Climate and energy policymaker at WWF Scotland, Robin Parker, noted in a statement that this turn to clear energy is ultimately a positive move that benefits everyone in Scotland; "Up and down the country, we are all benefiting from cleaner energy and so is the climate." Parker also added that these benefits will likely soon stretch well beyond Scotland. "These figures show harnessing Scotland's plentiful onshore wind potential can provide clean, green electricity for millions of homes across not only Scotland, but England as well." 

Europe, in general, is home to some of the world's most ambitious wind energy projects. As an example, the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea officially opened in September 2018, according to Orsted, a Danish energy business.

The wind farm is currently one of the largest operational offshore farms in the world, with a total capacity of 659 MW. It is capable of providing power for nearly 600,000 homes across the U.K.