Scotland produced enough wind energy to power it for a day on 7 August
11 Aug 2016
For the first time on record, wind turbines generated more electricity than the amount used in the whole of Scotland on a single day, on Sunday.
According to an analysis by conservation group WWF Scotland, unseasonably stormy weather saw turbines create about 106 per cent of the total amount of electricity used by every home and business in the country on 7 August.
The country was hit by gale-force winds blowing at 115 mph recorded at the top of Cairngorm Mountain.
The early hours of Monday saw a 17,000-tonne oil rig break away from a tug, which later ran aground near Carloway on the Isle of Lewis.
Also train services were cancelled with trees blown onto the tracks, and various other services were cancelled and parts of Dundee were hit by a power cut.
But WWF Scotland's director Lang Banks said: ''While Sunday's weather caused disruption for many people, it also proved to be a good day for wind power output, with wind turbines alone providing the equivalent of all Scotland's total electricity needs, www.independent.co.uk reported.
''This major moment was made possible thanks, in part, to many years of political support, which means that across the year now, renewables contribute well over half of our electricity needs.
''However, if we want this to ensure we reap the many benefits of becoming a low-carbon economy we need to see this political support for renewables continue.''
Meanwhile, in related news, earlier this week, power demand across the UK's high-voltage transmission system was down to an 11-year low, as warm summer weather coupled with embedded wind energy depressed demand on the transmission network.
According to Argus Media, wind power, which was connected to a distribution network rather than the transmission network, was helping to keep demand for energy from other sources low.
Monday saw demand on the transmission system drop to 18.7GW between 6am and 6.30am, the lowest in National Grid's records, which began in April 2005.
