UK’s ‘Windustrial Revolution’

In 25 years, the British wind industry has led the world with colossal offshore solutions that can now power more than half the nation's homes.

Wind farm off England's Yorkshire coast

In December 2000, the first offshore wind farm in Britain was completed off the coast of the North East of England, a region long associated with the industrial revolution. Since then, the national wind industry has expanded to record sizes, employing tens of thousands and inspiring renewable energy policy internationally. Indeed, in 2020, one observer described the UK as the “Saudi Arabia of wind energy.”

At the outset in 2000, many people said that it was crazy, claiming that wind could never be a serious player in the energy mix. A new report has firmly shut down that argument. Marking 25 years since the UK installed its first offshore turbine wind farm at Blyth Harbour - the largest in the world at the time - it chronicled the country’s progress over the following two and a half decades, saying it amounted to a “windustrial revolution”. Today, UK offshore wind now generates 16,000MW - enough to power 16 million of the nations's 28 million homes.

The "windustrial revolution" report was published by the thinktank Ember, which said that the UK’s offshore wind sector employs around 40,000 people. The rapid rollout of offshore wind, it added, helped the UK quit coal last year.

Renewables produce around 60 percent of the UK’s electricity - up from just 3 percent in the year 2000. Last Friday, the country smashed its wind power record, producing enough wind to power 23m homes. Those numbers are on track to rise significantly in the coming years, as there are seven offshore wind farms under construction and five in preparation, totalling 12 GW together.

“It really shows what’s possible when we back clean home-grown energy,” said Kayte O’Neill, chief operating officer at the National Energy System Operator.