Set-Aside announced for UK wind farms

• 13 years ago (2010-06-22)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Renewables 751

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Major UK wind energy producers will receive Government-backed incentives to shut down production at wind farms during strong wind gusts at periods of low power demand. Renewable energy companies could receive up to thousands of pounds each day to keep the power off the National Grid.

Firms have been asked to stop generating power on particularly windy nights, as the National Grid fears that it could lead to a surge in the power supply. At the start of June, Scottish Power launched the first successful closure of its wind farms, receiving £13,000 for taking two sites offline.

Dr Lee Moroney, Planning Director at the Renewable Energy Foundation, said that as more wind farms are developed, the issue will only continue to escalate. He added that because wind power cannot be controlled, it will not provide “solid” electricity for the national grid in a way that is manageable. Moroney said that it seems wrong to pay large sums of money to multinational corporations to not produce power.